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- [AIOCS LTD Annual Report of Activity 2025](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-ltd-annual-report-of-activity-2025/) - AIOCS LTD Annual Report of Activity 2025 The Australian Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, LTD ACN 649 025 141 ABN 76 649 025 141 PO Box 472 Newport Beach NSW 2106 Australia https://aiocs.net/ Email info@aiocs.net Annual Report of Activity 2025 In harmony
- [Unfortunately: My Take on Orthodoxy Today](https://aiocs.net/unfortunately-my-take-on-orthodoxy-today/) - By Markellos Margelis Instead of being known above all for proclaiming Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and glorified, contemporary Orthodox Christian Churches (sometimes called Eastern Orthodox) are increasingly known for their national identities, political loyalties, institutional rivalries, and proximity to earthly powers. While the circumstances differ from one jurisdiction to another, they experience the same temptation:
- [AIOCS 2026 “Beginnings” Prizes](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-2023-beginnings-prizes/) - The Australian Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies (AIOCS) is pleased to announce its 2026 “Beginnings” prize competition. Three prizes will be offered in December 2026, for research focusing on the contribution of Father Matta al-Miskīn to theology, exegesis, and spirituality. AIOCS invites specialised studies on Father Matta’s ideas, as well as comparative analyses, where his
- [The Complex Early Christian Worldview and Its Lessons](https://aiocs.net/the-complex-early-christian-worldview-and-its-lessons/) - by Doru Costache One of the most persistent tropes of modern European culture—and wherever in the world this type of culture reverberates—is that Christianity was a catalyst for the secular mindset that led—via the rise of science and technology—to the disenchantment of nature and that, in so doing, it facilitated the industrial exploitation of nature
- [Book Launch Speech for The Philokalia](https://aiocs.net/book-launch-speech-for-the-philokalia/) - by Doru Costache I bring good news: Christ is risen! It’s an honour and indeed a pleasure to be given the opportunity to speak on a topic that is extremely dear to me, The Philokalia, and to launch this new translation of representative parts of it. Warm congratulations to Professor Jonathan Zecher and to Emeritus Professor
- [The “Gods” Walk Among Us: Eleven Indicators of Holiness in Life of Saint Mary of Egypt](https://aiocs.net/the-gods-walk-among-us-nine-indicators-of-holiness-in-life-of-saint-mary-of-egypt/) - by Doru Costache It’s the fifth week of the Great Fast, known as Lent (“spring”) in the northern hemisphere. Year after year, the Orthodox of Byzantine tradition read—or so they are supposed to do—the sixth-century hagiographical account, Life of Saint Mary of Egypt, traditionally attributed to Saint Sophrony of Jerusalem. It’s their way of getting
- [Deification within the Contemporary Coptic Orthodox Context: Fr Matta Al-Miskin and Pope Shenouda III](https://aiocs.net/deification-within-the-contemporary-coptic-orthodox-context-fr-matta-al-miskin-and-pope-shenouda-iii/) - The AIOCS "Beginnings" Series ISBN 978-0-6484401-7-8 (ebook) Available for purchase in PDF format Abstract: The Coptic (Egyptian) Orthodox Church is currently shaken by a debate regarding divine participation, which began as a disagreement between Pope Shenouda III (1923–2012) and Fr Matta Al-Miskin (1919–2006). In short, Fr Matta used the terminology of deification, whereas Pope Shenouda maintained
- [Foreword to Deification within the Contemporary Coptic Orthodox Context](https://aiocs.net/foreword-to-deification-within-the-contemporary-coptic-orthodox-context/) - by Wagdy Samir The book is available for purchase in PDF format. In 2008, in the postscript of Coptic Christology in Practice, Stephen J. Davis observed: “While it is unclear how this (deification) debate will resolve itself in future generations, its impact on the theology and common life of the church in Egypt will undoubtedly
- [Saint Gregory’s Evenings: Reflecting on the Introductory Prayers](https://aiocs.net/saint-gregorys-evenings-reflecting-on-the-introductory-prayers/) - by Doru Costache Within the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand currently there is only one English-speaking church, active in Sydney’s northern parts since 2017, when believers of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, together with me, asked for Bishop Mihail’s blessing to pray together, and received it. The church gathers under the patronage
- [A Trinitarian Creed: Affirming Relational Freedom and Resonance with Divine Love](https://aiocs.net/a-trinitarian-creed-affirming-relational-freedom-and-resonance-with-divine-love/) - by Peter Stork I believe in the Triune God as the living ground of all existence and being—Father, Son, and Spirit in eternal communion of self-giving, self-receiving, and mutual delight. Divine being is not a corporeal entity but a spiritual–relational plenitude, from whose infinite communion creation flows. The universe is therefore neither a necessity nor
- [Orthodox Theological Anthropology, Deification in Christ, and Technological Enhancement](https://aiocs.net/orthodox-theological-anthropology-deification-in-christ-and-technological-enhancement/) - by Doru Costache In this paper, I discuss the quest for perfection as integral to Orthodox Christian anthropology, the forms this quest can take, what makes it possible, and why certain technological enhancements hinder the quest. [This version does not include all the references.] Humankind, made “after God’s image” (Genesis 1:26-27) out of “dust from the
- [Science-Engaged Theology in Clement of Alexandria’s Nature Contemplation: Lessons for Today](https://aiocs.net/science-engaged-theology-in-clement-of-alexandrias-nature-contemplation-lessons-for-today/) - by Doru Costache In this paper, I discuss Clement’s “gnostic physiology,” that is, his method of nature contemplation as practiced, primarily, by saintly sages, whom he calls “holy gnostics.” His is the first consistent iteration of the ancient discipline of nature contemplation in a Christian sense, specifically, as an interdisciplinary undertaking that—together with combining ethical
- [Virility Is No Christian Virtue](https://aiocs.net/virility-is-no-christian-virtue/) - by Doru Costache In recent months, several news items and commentaries have been drawing our attention to a strange phenomenon that occurs in North America about conversions to Orthodox Christianity. In short, and without euphemisms, inspired by authoritarian political figures from Slavic Eastern Europe, certain North American “Eastern” Orthodox priests (in both Canada and the United
- [Doru Costache's New Monograph Is Out](https://aiocs.net/doru-costaches-new-monograph-is-out/) - AIOCS Director Doru Costache has just published another monograph, Nature Contemplation in Clement of Alexandria: Elements of the Method (London and New York: Routledge, 2025). The book examines Clement of Alexandria’s interdisciplinary approach to nature contemplation—which he terms “physiology” and “physics”—showing its internal consistency even in the absence of a clear methodological outline. It reconstructs Clement’s method of nature
- [Wagdy Samir](https://aiocs.net/wagdy-samir/) - Wagdy Samir, AIOCS Director of Orthodox Studies Qualifications PhD (Theology), The Sydney College of Divinity, 2022 (The Dr Beth Blackall Memorial Prize for best dissertation) MBA (Full-time), Australian Graduate School of Management, University of New South West, 1996 (focused on strategy & finance; finished in the top 10—Dean’s List) PhD (Mathematics), University of New South
- [Wagdy Samir's Monograph is Out](https://aiocs.net/wagdy-samirs-monograph-is-out/) - AIOCS Director Dr Wagdy Samir has just published a major monograph, Divine Participation: A Reconstruction of St Cyril of Alexandria’s and Fr Matta al-Miskīn’s Commentaries on the Gospel of St John, in the prestigious series Texts and Studies in Eastern Christianity (vol. 38), at Brill (Leiden and Boston, 2025). Warm congratulations! The book is based
- [“Spacing-Out” and “Spacing-In”: Searching for the “Purplepink Middle”](https://aiocs.net/spacing-out-and-spacing-in-searching-for-the-purplepink-middle/) - by Margaret Somerville Note of explanation: This text was a speech I delivered at the Spring Convocation of the University of Windsor (Windsor, Ontario), on 6 June 1992. It was meant to encourage and warn young graduates setting out on their life journey in an end-of-the-20th Century, beginning of the 21st Century world. I was
- [AIOCS LTD Annual Report of Activity 2022](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-ltd-annual-report-of-activity-2022/) - The Australian Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, LTD ACN 649 025 141 ABN 76 649 025 141 PO Box 472 Newport Beach NSW 2106 Australia https://aiocs.net/ Email info@aiocs.net January 2023 Annual Report of Activity 2022 In harmony with its objectives,
- [AIOCS LTD Annual Report of Activity 2023](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-ltd-annual-report-of-activity-2023/) - The Australian Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, LTD ACN 649 025 141 ABN 76 649 025 141 PO Box 472 Newport Beach NSW 2106 Australia https://aiocs.net/ Email info@aiocs.net December 2023 Annual Report of Activity 2023 In harmony with its
- [AIOCS LTD Annual Report of Activity 2024](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-ltd-annual-report-of-activity-2024/) - The Australian Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, LTD ACN 649 025 141 ABN 76 649 025 141 PO Box 472 Newport Beach NSW 2106 Australia https://aiocs.net/ Email info@aiocs.net Annual Report of Activity 2024 In harmony with its objectives, namely, contributing to the
- [AIOCS LTD Annual Report of Activity 2021](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-ltd-annual-report-of-activity-2021/) - The Australian Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, LTD ACN 649 025 141 ABN 76 649 025 141 PO Box 472 Newport Beach NSW 2106 Australia https://aiocs.net/ Email info@aiocs.net January 2022 Annual Report of Activity 2021 AIOCS LTD was registered in
- [The Entry of the Theotokos in the Temple: Interiorising an Orthodox Festival](https://aiocs.net/the-entry-of-the-theotokos-in-the-temple-interiorising-an-orthodox-festival/) - by Doru Costache Reverend clergy, ladies and gentlemen, sisters and brothers in Christ our Lord. Thank you for this generous invitation. It has been a great privilege to join your prayers this morning, particularly your devotion towards the Lady of Walsingham. I shall attempt to contribute to this prayerful and welcoming ambiance by introducing you
- [Sfântul Ioan Hrisostom sau Episcopul între Militantism Profetic şi Martiriu](https://aiocs.net/sfantul-ioan-hrisostom-sau-episcopul-intre-militantism-profetic-si-martiriu/) - de Doru Costache [Free content © AIOCS] În aceste vremuri dominate de sloganuri necreştine, tot mai fără rost—de genul succesului social, spre exemplu—probabil că pentru mulţi pare straniu fie şi gândul unei opoziţii faţă de sistemul care face posibilă ascensiunea socială. De fapt, așa cum alungăm o supărătoare muscă, e mult mai la îndemână să
- [Saint John Chrysostom: The Christian Bishop between Successfulness, Prophetic Militantism, and Martyrdom](https://aiocs.net/saint-john-chrysostom-the-christian-bishop-between-prophetic-militantism-and-martyrdom/) - by Doru Costache [Free content © AIOCS] In this world of pointless concerns for successfulness and the lack of it, the thought of opposing a system that facilitates the acquisition of status is deeply troubling. It is easier to repress any thoughts that hinder our social success—as we chase away a nasty fly—than to exercise
- [Bridging Theology, the Humanities, and the Hard Sciences](https://aiocs.net/bridging-theology-the-humanities-and-the-hard-sciences/) - Bridging Theology, the Humanities, and the Hard Sciences through Transdsciplinarity: Personal Reflections by Doru Costache Thirty years on from the signing of the Charter of Transdisciplinarity, in November 1994, the issues listed in its preamble continue to trouble our world. Scattered knowledge through the “proliferation of academic and non-academic disciplines” still leads “to an exponential
- [The Transdisciplinary Charter: 30 Years On](https://aiocs.net/the-transdisciplinary-charter-30-years-on/) - Doru Costache's off the cuff thoughts about the contemporary significance of transdisciplinarity. Talk given for the Romanian celebration of the Charter of Transdisciplinarity: The 30th Anniversary (7 November 2024). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8EttGs8ACE Topics: Transdisciplinarity and interpersonal relationships; transdisciplinarity and contemporary conflicts; transdisciplinarity as a mediator between "first worlders" and First Nations' wisdom. Speaker's bio: Doru Costache, Protopresbyter.
- [Student-Centred Education, Pandemic-Related Conspiracies, and Traditional Wisdom](https://aiocs.net/student-centred-education-pandemic-related-conspiracies-and-the-traditional-wisdom/) - by Doru Costache You might ask me what has granny to do with the machine gun… Well, at face value she might not have anything to do with it, but at close quarters things look quite differently. Let me be very blunt. I suspect that our prized student-centred education—such a sign of maturity and competence
- [A New Copernican Turn](https://aiocs.net/a-new-copernican-turn/) - The book of Doru Costache and Geraint F. Lewis, A New Copernican Turn: Contemporary Cosmology, the Self, and Orthodox Science-Engaged Theology, is now available. It was published by Routledge (London and New York, 2014), in the Routledge Focus on Religion series. Authors' bios: Doru Costache is a Romanian Orthodox priest living in Australia and Associate Professor
- [AIOCS Conversations August-September 2024](https://aiocs.net/recent-aiocs-conversations-episodes/) - AIOCS Conversations discusses matters of ethics, philosophy, science, society, technology, and theology. Interspersed with a series of nine interactions with Dr Graeme Finlay (see Graeme Finlay’s A Freed Man’s Worship, Parts 1-9; AIOCS' Wagdy Samir makes a cameo appearance in the ninth instalment of the series), AIOCS' Doru Costache recently entertained Hermina Nedelescu (PhD neuroscientist,
- [An Eastern Orthodox Perspective on the Christology of the Assyrian Church of the East](https://aiocs.net/an-eastern-orthodox-perspective-on-the-christology-of-the-assyrian-church-of-the-east/) - by Doru Costache Abstract In this talk, I put aside the usual Eastern or Byzantine Orthodox clichés about Assyrian christology and I listen to what the Assyrian Church of the East says, especially in its official statement on doctrine. Accordingly, I consider the statement, highlighting the obvious agreement between its content and what my own Church
- [The AIOCS 2024 "Beginnings" Prize Was Just Awarded](https://aiocs.net/the-aiocs-2024-beginnings-prize-was-awarded/) - AIOCS is thrilled to announce the awarding of its inaugural "Beginnings" Prize. This is a dream come true! The prize, amounting to AUD 1,000, was awarded to Ramsey Andrews, a Coptic Orthodox theologian and psychologist living in Sydney. The award was handed to the winner at the end of October 2024, for writing a relevant—indeed,
- [What Does It Mean To Be Human?](https://aiocs.net/what-does-it-mean-to-be-human/) - Recently (17 October 2024), in his capacity as ISCAST Research Director, Doru Costache responded to the above question, which was asked in preparation of ISCAST's Conference on Science and Christianity (COSAC) 2024 on the topic Humanity 2.0? God, Technology, and the Future of Being Human. COSAC are biennial conferences ISCAST organises since 1997. His full
- [A Religion for Slaves, Women, and Children](https://aiocs.net/a-religion-for-slaves-women-and-children/) - by Doru Costache This is how the critics of early Christianity mocked our predecessors in the faith, as welcoming slaves, women, and children. But what were the factors that prompted this assessment? To respond to this question, let’s see the way this mockery was articulated. A second-century eclectic philosopher, Celsus, considering things from the vantage
- [Graeme Finlay's A Freed Man’s Worship, Parts 1-9](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-26-33-graeme-finlays-a-freed-mans-worship-parts-1-8/) - From the middle of July to almost the end of August 2024, Dr Graeme Finlay (Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand) graciously agreed to reflect on his poem "A Freed Man’s Worship: The Point of It All," published as an appendix to his recent article "The Primal Testament: Parallels between Evolutionary and Biblical History." The article was
- [Introducing Science-Engaged Theology](https://aiocs.net/introducing-science-engaged-theology/) - by Doru Costache In recent years we witnessed the rise of a new method, or so we think, namely, science-engaged theology. What I aim to show in this short paper is, first, that this method has solid theological antecedents within the ancient Christian tradition and that, therefore, it is not so new, and second, that
- [The Cosmology of David Bohm](https://aiocs.net/the-cosmology-of-david-bohm/) - Doru Costache coauthored a journal article with Richard de Grijs, "The Cosmology of David Bohm: Scientific and Theological Significance." The article was published in Theology and Science 22:1 (2024): 204-220, DOI: 10.1080/14746700.2023.2294529. Authors' bios: Richard de Grijs is a professor of astrophysics at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He has a keen interest in the
- [Creation’s Natural Mortality and the “Fall”: Patristic Perspectives](https://aiocs.net/creations-natural-mortality-and-the-fall-patristic-perspectives/) - Associate Professor Doru Costache presented the paper whose title is given above at "The Fall in Science and Theology" conference. The event was organised by New Zealand Christians in Science in Auckland, 27 and 28 October 2023. The conference included a wide variety of speakers, approaches, and topics, all focusing on matters pertains to the
- [Communicating Theologically Interpreted Scientific Information to Christian Congregations: Patristic and Neopatristic Lessons](https://aiocs.net/communicating-theologically-interpreted-scientific-information-to-christian-congregations-patristic-and-neopatristic-lessons/) - by Doru Costache In the last seventy years or so, at least from the publication, in 1966, of Ian Barbour’s Issues in Science and Religion, the field of faith and science—also known as science and religion or theology and science—made significant strides towards dismantling the “conflict” narrative. This conflict has premodern historical roots but became
- [The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the Risen Lord](https://aiocs.net/the-paschal-revolution-beyond-the-forty-days-with-the-risen-lord/) - by Doru Costache Contemplating, year after year, the splendid architecture of the Fifty Days, a liturgical cycle spanning from Pascha to Pentecost, one cannot escape the sense of witnessing something tremendously meaningful. This third (or is it actually the first, since this is when the Orthodox yearly cycle of scriptural readings begins?) section of the
- [From Darkness to Resurrection and Beyond: Glimpses of the Paschal Mystery](https://aiocs.net/from-darkness-to-resurrection-and-beyond-glimpses-of-the-paschal-mystery/) - by Doru Costache According to our tradition and in harmony with an archetypal religious perception, ritual is not just a spectacularly intricate form of remembering past events or a mere memorial of the divine economy of salvation. Ritual is, originally and essentially, the most appropriate way of experiencing faith’s existential substance, its living content. At
- [Bridging Faith and Science Contemplatively: An Early Christian Model](https://aiocs.net/bridging-faith-and-science-contemplatively-an-early-christian-model/) - by Doru Costache If there is something representative of modern mentalities, it is compartmentalisation. The impact of this feature reaches far and wide, from personal worldviews to academic standards to economics to politics. In short, compartmentalisation follows analytical principles, attempting to understand by breaking the objects to pieces, without concern for, or sensitivity towards, the
- [Orthodoxy Down Under](https://aiocs.net/orthodoxy-down-under/) - by Doru Costache To talk about Orthodoxy in Oceania is as difficult as on the worldwide scale. Various churches claim this name, but they do not seem to acknowledge each other as such. Overall, there are three major Orthodox families, walking their separate ways since the fifth century. To outside observers, what keeps them apart
- [Creationism and Australia’s First Nations](https://aiocs.net/creationism-and-australias-first-nations/) - by Doru Costache I don’t refer in public to private conversations, not usually, but since this one does not amount to confession or spiritual guidance, I’ll give it a go. In short, the other day I was approached by a man who enquired about Orthodox Christianity. I asked how did he stumble on my name
- [Theophany and Its Ethical Trace](https://aiocs.net/theophany-and-its-ethical-trace/) - Theophany and Its Ethical Trace: Christianity According to Father Nicolae Steinhardt by Bogdan G. Bucur (This text represents the author's own English translation of Bogdan G. Bucur, "Die Theophanie und ihre ethische Spur: Christsein nach Vater Nicolae Steinhardt," Ostkirchliche Studien 71.2 (2022): 315-330.) Among the many witnesses of Christ that flourished in Romania, I would
- [Orthodox Theologies of Divine Participation (Part 3)](https://aiocs.net/orthodox-theologies-of-divine-participation-part-3/) - Here is the third AIOCS conversation of Wagdy Samir and Doru Costache on “Orthodox Theologies of Divine Participation: Matta al-Miskīn and Dumitru Stăniloae,” held on 20 July 2023. This series focuses on the theology of holiness of the two great theologians, one Coptic Orthodox, the other Romanian Orthodox. Wagdy returns to the topic of created
- [Pondering the Mystery of Christmas](https://aiocs.net/pondering-the-mystery-of-christmas/) - by Doru Costache The scriptural readings prescribed for the liturgical celebration of Christmas constitute a sustained mystagogy of the festival. The message the readings suggest seems to be focusing on two related topics. First, to realise the identity of Christ and the significance of his ministry. Second, to realise the content of our Christian identity
- [Considerations about the "Codex Angus"](https://aiocs.net/considerations-about-the-codex-angus/) - On 29 August 2023, the AIOCS founding director, Doru Costache, gave a talk at Library Seminar Room, Fisher Library, the University of Sydney. The event was part of the Studies in Religion Research Seminars series, and focused on "Considerations about the 'Codex Angus,' A Byzantine Manuscript in the University of Sydney Library." The audio recording
- [ANZATS 2023: "Faith & Science" Stream](https://aiocs.net/anzats-2023s-faith-science-stream/) - For the second year in a row, the ANZATS (the Australian and New Zealand Association of Theological Studies) conference hosted a special stream “Faith & Science.” The conference was held entirely online (3-5 July 2023) and focused on the topic “Context & Tradition.” Once again, the major relevant organisations of the region, ISCAST in Australia
- [Costache and Samir at the ANZATS Conference 2023](https://aiocs.net/costache-and-samir-at-anzats-conference-2023/) - AIOCS directors Doru Costache and Wagdy Samir attended the online ANZATS (the Australian and New Zealand Association of Theological Studies) 2023 Conference “Context & Tradition.” They presented papers for various thematic sections, Samir on “The Theological Anthropology of Father Matta Al-Miskin, a Contemporary Coptic Orthodox Desert Father,” and Costache on “Engaging Science Theologically: Lessons from
- [AIOCS Conversations: Lisa Sideris (2)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-lisa-sideris-2/) - Lisa H. Sideris, Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, gave another interview for the AIOCS Conversations on 28 July 2023. The conversation returned to wonder, the topic of the previous discussion, but together with grief as another form of enhancing the self's realisation of itself and its surrounds. Actually, if
- [AIOCS Conversations: Lisa Sideris (1)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-lisa-sideris/) - On 14 July 2023, Doru Costache interviewed Dr Lisa H. Sideris, who is Professor of Environmental Studies, with affiliation in Religious Studies, at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Lisa is also the current President of the International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture, as well as a Fellow of the International
- [AIOCS Conversations: Graeme Finlay (2)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-graeme-finlay-2/) - On 27 July 2023, Dr Graeme Finlay gave another interview for the AIOCS Conversations series (for the first one, as well as for information about him, see this). The discussion, as shown in the video recording below, addresses the scientifically established "critical text" of our genome (23 volumes!!) and various ways of reading it, i.e.,
- [AIOCS Conversations: Graeme Finlay (1)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-graeme-finlay-on-faith-and-evolutionary-science/) - A conversation with Dr Graeme Finlay, a retired Senior Lecturer in scientific pathology, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, and Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, in the University of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. He also is a lay Christian preacher. Graeme is well-known in his field of research, as well as
- [Towards a Scientifically Engaged Theology](https://aiocs.net/towards-a-scientifically-engaged-theology/) - Towards a Scientifically Engaged Theology: Traditionally Anchored Methodological Considerations (Paper presented at IOTA 2023 Conference, Volos, Greece, 11-15 January 2023; NB the resulting article is under review, July 2023) Doru Costache I must confess that I prefer the concept of scientifically engaged theology to its alternatives, science and religion, faith and science, or science and
- [Orthodox Theologies of Divine Participation (Part 2)](https://aiocs.net/orthodox-theologies-of-divine-participation-part-2/) - Here is the second AIOCS conversation of Wagdy Samir and Doru Costache on “Orthodox Theologies of Divine Participation: Matta al-Miskīn and Dumitru Stăniloae,” held on 11 July 2023. This series focuses on the theology of holiness of the two great theologians, one Coptic Orthodox, the other Romanian Orthodox. The discussion continues with Wagdy sketching an
- [Orthodox Theologies of Divine Participation (Part 1)](https://aiocs.net/orthodox-theologies-of-divine-participation-part-1/) - On 6 July 2023, AIOCS launched the first conversation of Wagdy Samir and Doru Costache on "Orthodox Theologies of Divine Participation: Matta al-Miskīn and Dumitru Stăniloae." This series focuses on the theology of holiness of the two great theologians, one Coptic Orthodox, the other Romanian Orthodox. This first conversation introduces the speakers' interest in the
- [Chrysostom’s Apophatic Approach](https://aiocs.net/chrysostoms-apophatic-approach/) - On 21 June 2023, Associate Professor Doru Costache gave (remotely, via video link) the talk "Chrysostom’s Apophatic Approach to God’s Nature, Providential Activity, and Creation" for the annual event Actualités Chrysostomiennes (news in Chrysostomian studies), held at Sources Chrétiennes, Lyon, France. Abstract: In his works, On the Incomprehensible Nature of God and Homilies on Genesis,
- [The SCD's Theology Research Network-ISCAST seminars in 2023](https://aiocs.net/the-scds-theology-research-network-iscast-seminars-in-2023/) - Associate Professor Doru Costache has recently taken over the chairmanship of the Sydney College of Divinity's (SCD) Theology Research Network (TRN). The TRN was established in 2020 by Professor Neil Ormerod, fostering the interdisciplinary study of theological topics by way of online seminars, conferences, and publications. The current two-year cycle of seminars, "Religiously Human in
- [Divine Participation: The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Fr Matta al-Miskīn's Theology](https://aiocs.net/divine-participation-the-indwelling-of-the-holy-spirit-in-fr-matta-al-miskins-theology/) - Dr Wagdy Samir, AIOCS Director of Orthodox Studies offered a paper for the conference Emerging Coptic Theology in Australia, organised by St Athanasius College (University of Divinity) and St Cyril's Coptic Orthodox Theological College (Sydney College of Divinity). 14-15 October 2022. Abstract: The paper examines Fr Matta’s views on divine participation within the context of
- [The Whole and the Person](https://aiocs.net/the-self-and-the-infinite-universe/) - On 20 April 2023, Doru Costache, the AIOCS Founding Director, offered a talk for the ISCAST-NZCIS Conversations. The topic was "The Whole and the Person: The Destiny of the Self in the Infinite Universe." This was part of a series of talks, "Hardwired? Human Consciousness and Christian Belief," running from April to June 2023. Abstract: One
- [Day One: Women's Voices](https://aiocs.net/day-one-women-voices/) - Christ is risen! The first believers who saw the resurrected Lord were women. As a tribute to their courage and love, by way of this audio recording Christian women tell the story of the first day of resurrection. The narrative is found in John 20:19​-25, a passage Eastern Orthodox Christians read in many languages during
- [Orthodox Christian Views on Technology and AI](https://aiocs.net/orthodox-christian-views-on-technology-and-ai/) - by Doru Costache As part of project “Contemporary Orthodox Christian Views of Artificial Intelligence in ‘Cradle’ and ‘Diaspora’ Communities” (INSBS Collaboration Fund Collab/01/106), Efthymios Nicolaidis and I browse the internet in search for relevant information. We are at the stage of collecting information from unofficial Orthodox websites and blogs, after which we will proceed to
- [More Orthodox Christian Views on Technology and AI](https://aiocs.net/more-orthodox-christian-views-on-technology-and-ai/) - by Doru Costache The previous update on the project “Contemporary Orthodox Christian Views of Artificial Intelligence in ‘Cradle’ and ‘Diaspora’ Communities” (INSBS Collaboration Fund Collab/01/106), running at IHR and AIOCS from October 2022 to May 2023, focused on unofficial, popular views. The reader can find that summary here. In the intervening time, Efthymios Nicolaidis and
- [AIOCS Conversations: Efthymios Nicolaidis (2)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-efthymios-nicolaidis-2/) - On 24 March 2023, Doru Costache interviewed Efthymios Nicolaidis on the topic of Orthodox Christian attitudes to artificial intelligence (AI). Nicolaidis and Costache are currently approaching the end of a funded project, “Contemporary Orthodox Christian Views of Artificial Intelligence in ‘Cradle’ and ‘Diaspora’ Communities” (INSBS Collaboration Fund Collab/01/106). The project runs at the Institute of
- [Providence and Hope for the Creation in the World to Come](https://aiocs.net/providence-and-hope-for-the-creation-in-the-world-to-come/) - In loving memory of Cookie (April 2005 - August 2021) by Doru Costache A year ago, we lost our dearest Cookie. That’s that, some would say. There’s so much pain and loss and suffering out there, that the death of a kitten who lived a full life and reached ripe old age should not haunt
- [Contemporary Orthodox Christian Views of Artificial Intelligence](https://aiocs.net/contemporary-orthodox-christian-views-of-artificial-intelligence/) - Photo (L2R): Efthymios Nicolaidis, Doru Costache, Nikolaos Livanos. National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens, 29 November 2018 Together with Professor Efthymios Nicolaidis, from the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (Athens), AIOCS' Founding Director Doru Costache won a grant for project “Contemporary Orthodox Christian Views of Artificial Intelligence in ‘Cradle’ and ‘Diaspora’
- [AIOCS Conversations: Marius Dorobantu](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-marius-dorobantu-on-ai-and-christian-anthropology/) - A conversation with Dr Marius Dorobantu, a Theology & Science researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and a Fellow of the International Society for Science & Religion. He already has an impressive list of publications, many of his works being made available via his academia.edu profile. His work is at the crossing of theological anthropology
- [Doru Costache in Volos and Athens, January 2023](https://aiocs.net/doru-costaches-recent-contributions-in-volos-and-athens/) - In January 2023, Associate Professor Doru Costache, the AIOCS Founding Director, participated in two major academic events of the Orthodox world, the second conference of the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA) and the final workshop of the coordinators of the eight interdisciplinary groups of Science and Orthodoxy around the World (SOW), a project running at
- [AIOCS Conversations: Nicola Hoggard Creegan](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-nicola-hoggard-creegan-on-christianity/) - A conversation with Dr Nicola Hoggard Creegan, the Director of New Zealand Christians in Science. She is a theologian based in Auckland (Aotearoa New Zealand), researching at the nexus of evolutionary theory and systematic theology. She also has broad interests in issues of public and contextual theology and ecology, including Indigenous wisdom. Her doctorate is
- [Father Matta’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (7)](https://aiocs.net/father-mattas-commentary-on-saint-johns-gospel-7/) - Father Matta al-Miskīn’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (Introductory Volume) Thematic Considerations 7 Judgment by Wagdy Samir I have summarised Father Matta's views on life (eternal) in the previous article. Here, I consider the other side of the coin, judgement (if one rejects eternal life). Father Matta reminds readers that in the Gospel of Saint John, the
- [Father Matta’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (1)](https://aiocs.net/father-mattas-commentary-saint-johns-gospel-1/) - Father Matta al-Miskīn’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (Introductory Volume) Thematic Considerations 1 Introduction by Wagdy Samir I am a Coptic Orthodox living in Sydney, Australia and an avid reader of Father Matta al-Miskīn’s extensive writings. Recently, I have been awarded a PhD from the Sydney College of Divinity, for a dissertation where I have
- [Father Matta’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (2)](https://aiocs.net/father-mattas-commentary-saint-johns-gospel-2/) - Father Matta al-Miskīn’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (Introductory Volume) Thematic Considerations 2 The Truth by Wagdy Samir In the first article of this series, I provided a very brief biography of Father Matta. In this article, I focus on five points where he explores the theme of the truth in Saint John’s Gospel. First, for
- [Father Matta’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (3)](https://aiocs.net/father-mattas-commentary-on-saint-johns-gospel-3/) - Father Matta al-Miskīn’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (Introductory Volume) Thematic Considerations 3 The Witnesses by Wagdy Samir After exploring the topic of truth in Father Matta’s introductory volume on the Gospel of Saint John, I consider a related theme, the Church’s witnessing to the truth. According to him, John presents seven types of witnessing to
- [Father Matta’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (4)](https://aiocs.net/father-mattas-commentary-on-saint-johns-gospel-4/) - Father Matta al-Miskīn’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (Introductory Volume) Thematic Considerations 4 The True Light by Wagdy Samir In the previous article, I explored the theme of witnessing in Father Matta’s introductory volume on the Gospel of Saint John. Here, I consider one aspect pertaining to witnessing, namely, witnessing the true light. I will discuss
- [Father Matta’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (5)](https://aiocs.net/father-mattas-commentary-on-saint-johns-gospel-5/) - Father Matta al-Miskīn’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (Introductory Volume) Thematic Considerations 5 Glory by Wagdy Samir In the previous article, I explored the theme of true light as one aspect of witnessing in Father Matta’s introductory volume on the Gospel of Saint John. In what follows, I consider the second aspect of witnessing: witnessing the
- [Father Matta’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (6)](https://aiocs.net/father-mattas-commentary-on-saint-johns-gospel-6/) - Father Matta al-Miskīn’s Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel (Introductory Volume) Thematic Considerations 6 (Eternal) Life by Wagdy Samir In the previous articles, I summarised Father Matta’s view of light and glory in Saint John’s Gospel as two dimensions of truth and witnessing, ultimately leading to either life (eternal) or judgement (if one rejects eternal life). In
- [Paradise and Technology](https://aiocs.net/paradise-and-technology/) - On 25 November 2022, Doru Costache has given the paper "Paradise and Technology: The Next Best Thing" for Christian Living in a Techno-Scientific World, ISCAST’s thirteenth biennial Conference on Science and Christianity (COSAC) 2022. The conference took place at Ridley College, Melbourne, on 25 and 26 November. Costache was also involved in organising the conference's
- [Human Flourishing Through the Contemplation of Nature in the Age of Science](https://aiocs.net/human-flourishing-through-the-contemplation-of-nature-in-the-age-of-science/) - On 28 October 2022, AIOCS' Founding Director, Doru Costache, gave a talk, "Human Flourishing Through the Contemplation of Nature in the Age of Science," for the seminar series of Sydney College of Divinity's Theology Research Network in conjunction with ISCAST (the Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology), Religiously
- [Emerging Coptic Theology in Australia](https://aiocs.net/emerging-coptic-theology-in-australia/) - St Athanasius College (SAC) and St Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College (SCC) celebrated forty years of Coptic theological education in Australia through their inaugural Research Seminar: Emerging Coptic Theology in Australia (14 – 15 October 2022). The seminar aimed at fostering collaboration between Coptic Orthodox theological colleges in Australia. Coptic Orthodox researchers and research students
- [Selby Old Fellow Lecture 2022](https://aiocs.net/selby-old-fellow-lecture-2022/) - On 19 October 2022, Associate Professor Doru Costache offered a public lecture at the conclusion of his one-year tenure as Inaugural Selby Old Fellow in Religious History of the Orthodox Christian Faith at the University of Sydney Library (2021-2022). The lecture, "Codex Angus and Orthodox Christian Studies," discusses his scholarly research relating to the Orthodox
- [Codex Angus: A Twelfth Century  Byzantine Lectionary](https://aiocs.net/codex-angus-a-twelfth-century-byzantine-lectionary/) - On 28 September 2022, Doru Costache, the AIOCS Founding Director, gave a talk in his capacity as Inaugural Selby Old Fellow in Religious History of the Orthodox Christian Faith at the University of Sydney Library (2021-2022). In this popular-level talk, part of the Rare Bites series, the speaker summarised some of his findings after half
- [Father Matta al-Miskīn on Christ’s Death and Resurrection (and Our Own)](https://aiocs.net/father-matta-al-miskin-on-christs-death-and-resurrection-and-ours/) - For Father Matta, salvation is not “an idea or a principle that we cling to or hold on to.” Instead, it is “a power that Christ established through his death and resurrection.” Dying for us, Christ procured our complete redemption from sin and death, while by his resurrection he bestowed upon us eternal life, elevating
- [Partakers of the Divine Nature](https://aiocs.net/partakers-of-the-divine-nature/) - An article by Father Matta Al-Miskīn Humanity has entered into a mystical relationship with God in Christ Jesus, becoming partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and inheritor of all the heavenly glory through the Holy Spirit. Likewise, we, as Christ is sitting with our body on the right hand of power, inherit the
- [Humankind and the Cosmos Was Launched](https://aiocs.net/humankind-and-the-cosmos-was-launched/) - 31 May 2022. On the occasion of the last research seminar for semester 1, of the Department of Studies in Religion at the University of Sydney, Professor Carole Cusack launched Associate Professor Doru Costache's book, Humankind and the Cosmos: Early Christian Representations (Brill, 2021). Video recording https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytzoLMPMCow&list=PLE9asdkP6NUnibYoYrQY6-XhrKyxe7OKp&index=2&t=245s A photo from the event: the author, pictured
- [Orthodox Theologies of Divine Participation: Matta al-Miskīn and Dumitru Staniloae](https://aiocs.net/orthodox-theologies-of-divine-participation-matta-al-miskin-and-dumitru-staniloae/) - Dr Wagdy Samir, AIOCS Director for Orthodox Studies, has won a grant from the Australian Research Theology Foundation Inc. (ARTFinc) for project "Orthodox Theologies of Divine Participation: Matta al-Miskīn and Dumitru Staniloae." The project will run for a whole year within the framework of AIOCS, and will include both academic and popular outputs. Popular outcomes
- [A Second Launch for Humankind and the Cosmos](https://aiocs.net/a-second-launch-for-humankind-and-the-cosmos/) - On 1 September 2022, Professor Roland Fletcher (World Archaeology, University of Sydney) and Professor Paul Blowers (Dean E. Walker Professor of Church History, Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan University, USA) launched Associate Professor Doru Costache's book, Humankind and the Cosmos: Early Christian Representations (Brill, 2021). The event took place within the premises of World Archaeology
- [Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost](https://aiocs.net/descent-of-the-holy-spirit-on-pentecost/) - by Wagdy Samir And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them (Acts 2:2-3) According to Father Matta, these two verses reveal the specific nature of
- [Prize Awarded to Dr Wagdy Samir](https://aiocs.net/prize-awarded-to-dr-wagdy-samir/) - The AIOCS Director of Orthodox Studies, Dr Wagdy Samir, was awarded the Sydney College of Divinity' "The Dr Beth Blackall Memorial prize" for his dissertation on Father Matta al-Miskin and Saint Cyril of Alexandria. Warm congratulations, Dr Samir!
- [Congratulations Wagdy Samir!](https://aiocs.net/congratulations-wagdy-samir/) - AIOCS is thrilled to announce that its Director of Orthodox Studies, Dr (Math) Wagdy Samir, was recently awarded his second doctoral degree from the Sydney College of Divinity. The new PhD awardee has written an excellent dissertation, “Divine Participation in St Cyril of Alexandria’s and Fr Matta Al-Miskin’s Commentaries on the Gospel of John.” Here
- [The World of the Early Christians: Lessons for Today](https://aiocs.net/the-world-of-the-early-christians-lessons-for-today/) - by Doru Costache In a previous essay I have mentioned my recent book, Humankind and the Cosmos: Early Christian Representations, published by Brill in July 2021. In researching the topic and in writing the book, I have been amazed by the variety of early Christian attitudes and approaches to the nature and the universe, especially
- [Reading Scripture in the Orthodox Church: The Festal Cycle](https://aiocs.net/reading-scripture-in-the-orthodox-church-the-festal-cycle/) - The second part of Reading Scripture in the Orthodox Church is out! Buy this book in hard copy or as a PDF file. This volume of the series by Doru Costache explores the scriptural passages prescribed for the annual festal cycle, read in the liturgy in the Orthodox Christian tradition. AIOCS Press published this book with
- [Relating Science & Religion](https://aiocs.net/relating-science-religion/) - 30 June 2017 The Australian Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies hosted the seminar Relating Science & Religion
- [AIOCS Conversations: Gayle Woloschak](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-gayle-woloschak/) - A discussion with Gayle Woloschak, Professor of Radiation Oncology and Radiology at the Feinberg School of Medicine of the Northwestern University (Chicago IL, USA), where she also is Associate Dean for Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Affairs. Her prodigious activity includes, alongside her own scientific specialisation, an extensive lecturing experience in a variety of settings, including
- [AIOCS Conversations: Luke Barnes](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-luke-barnes/) - A discussion with Dr Luke Barnes, Lecturer in astronomy and cosmology at Western Sydney University. Being awarded a PhD from the University of Cambridge, Luke Barnes has published papers in the field of galaxy formation and on the fine-tuning of the Universe for life. In recent years, he coauthored two books with Professor Geraint Lewis,
- [The World of the Early Christians: A Complex Worldview](https://aiocs.net/the-world-of-the-early-christians-a-complex-worldview/) - by Doru Costache The task of summarising how the early Christians represented reality is not easy. The writers of that era did not produce systematic discourses “On the World,” their interests being elsewhere. Yet the world as they perceived and inhabited it is very much present in their writings. It is from there that we
- [Beyond Religion: (Orthodox) Christianity in Transdisciplinary Perspective](https://aiocs.net/beyond-religion-orthodox-christianity-in-transdisciplinary-perspective/) - by Doru Costache Forgetfulness of wisdom and identity seems to be the dominant of contemporary societies, especially those whose rhythms draw on the modern obsession with “what’s new,” with recent things. The knowledge-gathering culture of such societies does not help either, as new data piles up on top of older information, information which most times
- [AIOCS Conversations: Geraint Lewis (2)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-geraint-lewis-2/) - Another discussion with Professor Geraint Lewis, an astrophysicist from the University of Sydney’s Institute of Astronomy. Geraint researches the influence of dark energy and dark matter on the evolution and ultimate fate of the universe, gravitational lensing, and Galactic cannibalism. That said, often he ventures into the land of origin questions, discussing what makes the universe
- [AIOCS Conversations: Andrew Louth (1)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-andrew-louth/) - A conversation with Archpriest Professor Andrew Louth, FBA, on the cultural universe of the early Christian theologians and their ways of engaging the available sciences. Father Andrew is also an Emeritus Professor of Patristic and Byzantine Studies, Durham University UK. His impressive list of publications includes a great many authored books, edited volumes, journal articles,
- [AIOCS Conversations: Andrew Louth (2)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-andrew-louth-part-two/) - Another conversation with Archpriest Professor Andrew Louth, FBA! This time round, Father Andrew talks about the Christian sense of wonder at the meaningful beauty of creation, and about the modern, impoverished scientific perception of reality, which renders people aliens to this world. (Photo taken at Father Andrew's home, 21 February 2018.) In the beginning of
- [AIOCS Conversations: Neil Ormerod (1)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-neil-ormerod/) - A conversation with Professor Neil Ormerod, FACTA (Fellow of the Australian Catholic Theological Association), on the need of a rigorous theological method and the mediation of philosophy towards grasping the scientific worldview of our age. Neil is a well-known public speaker, whose profile pages can be found on the Conversations and the ABC websites. After
- [AIOCS Conversations: Neil Ormerod (2)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-neil-ormerod-2/) - The second conversation with Professor Neil Ormerod, FACTA, focuses on the reality of evil and the implications of human freedom, as well as the incapacity of our optimistic culture to save us from ourselves, despite scientific and technological advancement. The discussion orbits around the complex view of providence as an ongoing divine activity that bridges
- [AIOCS Conversations: Geraint Lewis (1)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-geraint-lewis/) - A discussion with Professor Geraint Lewis, an astrophysicist from the University of Sydney’s Institute of Astronomy. Geraint researches the influence of dark energy and dark matter on the evolution and ultimate fate of the universe, gravitational lensing, and Galactic cannibalism. That said, often he ventures into the land of origin questions, discussing what makes the
- [AIOCS Conversations: Christopher Knight (1)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-christopher-knight/) - A discussion with The Revd Dr Christopher Knight, an Orthodox theologian with a background in astrophysics, currently affiliated with the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge UK. He also is a Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion, an organisation whose Executive Secretary he was for many years. Father Chris is a prolific writer
- [AIOCS Conversations: Christopher Knight (2)](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-christopher-knight-part-two/) - A discussion with The Revd Dr Christopher Knight, an Orthodox theologian with a background in astrophysics, currently affiliated with the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge UK. He also is a Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion, an organisation whose Executive Secretary he was for many years. Father Chris is a prolific writer and, by all accounts, the foremost
- [Te Lepezi de Moscova?](https://aiocs.net/te-lepezi-de-moscova/) - by Doru Costache Sunt australian prin adopție și român prin naștere. Ca atare, în privința sângelui și a culturii care m-a făcut ceea ce sunt, sunt membru al unui popor ai cărui compatrioți ce trăiesc în Ucraina nu au fost mereu tratați cu blândețe de către majoritatea slavă. Ironic, atât stăpânitorii cât și stăpâniții sunt creștini
- [Do You Renounce Moscow?](https://aiocs.net/do-you-renounce-moscow/) - by Doru Costache While being Australian by adoption, I am Romanian by birth. As such, regarding my blood and the culture that made me who I am, I belong to a nation whose compatriots living in Ukraine have not been kindly treated by the Slavic majority. Ironically, both rulers and ruled are Orthodox Christians. The
- [From the Diary of a Fervent Christian: Ukraine and Beyond](https://aiocs.net/from-the-diary-of-a-fervent-christian-ukraine-and-beyond/) - by Anna Silvas, FAHA Now, to report one consequence for me, of the current unconscionable attack on Ukraine by Putin’s Russia. This unilateral assault, provoked by nothing that Ukraine has done, except timidly to assert its right as a sovereign nation to its own self-determination, is outrageous beyond belief. But of course, I remember that exactly the
- [Here I Am: Variations on Isaiah 48](https://aiocs.net/here-i-am-variations-on-isaiah-48/) - by Anna Silvas, FAHA What profound things one begins to see here. First of all to note: Behold from this time forth I make you hear new things, things hidden which you have not known (Isa 48:6), adumbrates Behold, I make all things new (Apoc 21:5). As I went through this chapter, I took the point of the NJB
- [Moving Beyond the Visible to Contemplate the Invisible (Part One)](https://aiocs.net/moving-beyond-the-visible-to-contemplate-the-invisible-part-one/) - by Mina H. Samy Today, there is no shortage of overemphasising the visible and deemphasising (or altogether forgetting) the invisible. This is not only the case for those who stand outside the various Christian circles, but it has also become the norm in the modern Christian way of life. This series of three blogs aims
- [Book Chapters by AIOCS' Directors](https://aiocs.net/book-chapters-by-aiocs-directors/) - L 2 R: Wagdy Samir and Doru Costache. Church Point NSW, 3 November 2020 Doru Costache, AIOCS Founding Director, and Wagdy Samir, AIOCS Director for Orthodox Studies, contributed book chapters to an edited collection published by SCD Press, The Impact of Jesus of Nazareth: Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspectives, vol. 2: Social and Pastoral Studies (Macquarie
- [Pășind spre Post: A Doua Treaptă](https://aiocs.net/pasind-spre-post-a-doua-treapta/) - Prelegerile AIOCS 2021 [Free content © AIOCS] Pășind spre Post: Reflecții Pregătitoare A Doua Parte: A Treizeci și Treia Duminică după Cincizecime 26 februarie Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache Citirile scripturale ale duminicii: 2 Timotei 3, 10–15. Luca 18, 10–14 Un context al interpretării: Doru Costache, Citirea Scripturii în Biserica Ortodoxă: Jurnal (Sydney: AIOCS Press, 2021) 87–88. Rezumatele 2
- [Exploring the World of the Early Christians](https://aiocs.net/exploring-the-world-of-the-early-christians/) - On 15 January 2022, the YouTube channel of the International Association of Patristic Studies launched a new series, Research in Patristic Studies in the 21st Century: Challenges, Possibilities and New Methods. Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache, AIOCS' Founding Director, was invited to give the inaugural talk of the series. He addressed the topic "Exploring the World
- [What Makes the Dialogue between Science and Religion Theologically Valuable?](https://aiocs.net/what-makes-the-dialogue-between-science-and-religion-theologically-valuable/) - On 13 January 2022, AIOCS' Founding Director, Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache, contributed to a panel discussion that focused on the question "What Makes the Dialogue between Science and Religion Theologically Valuable?" The panel was part of the annual meeting of the Orthodox Theological Society in America, 13-15 January 2022, whose theme was "Orthodoxy in a
- [Pondering the Mystery of Theophany](https://aiocs.net/pondering-the-mystery-of-theophany/) - by Doru Costache The scriptural readings prescribed for the liturgical celebration of Theophany constitute a sustained mystagogy of the festival. The message the readings suggest seems to be focusing on two related topics. First, to realise the identity of Christ and the significance of his ministry. Second, to realise the content of our Christian identity
- [Women in the Orthodox Church](https://aiocs.net/women-in-the-orthodox-church/) - On 30 December 2021 has taken place the online seminar "Women in the Orthodox Church," having as main speaker AIOCS' Founding Director, Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache. The event was co-organised by the Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of St Paraskevi, St Albans VIC, and AIOCS. The speaker was introduced to the small audience by St
- [Orthodox Christianity and Chemistry](https://aiocs.net/orthodox-christianity-and-chemistry/) - How Chemistry Has Been Perceived by Greek Orthodox Scholars from the Nineteenth Century to the Present Day by Sandy Sakorrafou On the occasion of the second ISCAST – SOW round table “Modern and Contemporary Orthodox Attitudes to Science” (14 December 2021), I have read the following short paper, which was preceded by the presentations of
- [Science, Theology, and Orthodox Christianity](https://aiocs.net/science-theology-and-orthodox-christianity/) - The Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology (ISCAST) has hosted a pair of evening conversations about science and theology in the Orthodox traditions. The events took place on 7 and 14 December, being streamed live via ISCAST’s YouTube channel. AIOCS' founding director, Assoc. Prof. Doru Costache, also is
- [Early Christian and Byzantine Attitudes to Science: Costache](https://aiocs.net/early-christian-and-byzantine-attitudes-to-science/) - by Doru Costache On the occasion of the first ISCAST - SOW round table "Science, Theology, and Orthodox Christianity" (7 December 2021), I read the following short paper, which was preceded by the presentations of Prof. Vasilios Makrides (University of Erfurt) and Dr Efthymios Nicolaidis (Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation,
- [Early Christian and Byzantine Attitudes to Science: Nicolaidis](https://aiocs.net/early-christian-and-byzantine-attitudes-to-science-nicolaidis/) - by Efthymios Nicolaidis On the occasion of the first ISCAST – SOW round table “Science, Theology, and Orthodox Christianity” (7 December 2021), I have read the following short paper, which was preceded by the presentation of Prof. Vasilios Makrides (University of Erfurt and SOW) and followed by the talk of Very Rev. Assoc. Professor Doru
- [Report on “What Does It Mean to Be Ecumenical?”](https://aiocs.net/report-on-what-does-it-mean-to-be-ecumenical/) - Doru Costache and Diane Speed have published a brief report on the New South Wales Ecumenical Council's Theological Reflection Commission 2021 Conference: “What Does It Mean to Be Ecumenical?” The report features in NSWEC's newsletter Sharing for December 2021, at p. 16. Here is the report Check out the video recording of the event https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ps9AgGtwRk&t=831s
- [That They May Be One](https://aiocs.net/that-they-may-be-one/) - by Zenaida Dunlop I ask not only on behalf of these [disciples], but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe
- [Stewards of the Earth](https://aiocs.net/stewards-of-the-earth/) - The participants On 1 November 2021, Doru Costache participated in a lively conversation organised by Exodus Youth Worx, on the topic Stewards of the Earth. The discussion went from personal testimonies to more sophisticated matters and back again, all of which meant to give people an idea of how to live more fully within God's
- [Unity: A Gift from God](https://aiocs.net/thoughts-about-and-around-ut-unum-sint/) - by Doug Hewitt Greetings to ecumenical friends, many of whom have been part of my journey over six decades. I speak to you from Awabakal lands in the Hunter and Lake Macquarie region of NSW, and I want to acknowledge the prior owners who have never ceded the land, and still await a Treaty with
- [From Creation to New Creation: A Symphonic Prelude to the Orthodox Ecclesiastical Year](https://aiocs.net/from-creation-to-new-creation-a-symphonic-prelude-to-the-orthodox-ecclesiastical-year/) - by Monica Ibrahim The Orthodox ecclesiastical year begins, in September, with a mystical alignment of liturgical, cosmic and scriptural symbols and events. In a musical composition, the prelude acts as a short introduction to the rhythmic and melodic motifs that recur throughout an evolving piece. Adopting St Clement of Alexandria’s vision of creation, the following
- [NSW Ecumenical Council's Theological Reflection Commission: 2021 Conference](https://aiocs.net/nsw-ecumenical-councils-theological-reflection-commission-2021-conference/) - Saturday, 9 October 2021 (10:00-12:30), took place online via Zoom the 2021 Conference of the NSW Ecumenical Council's Theological Reflection Commission. The theme of the conference was What Does It Mean to Be Ecumenical? The event consisted of two panel sessions, preceded by the acknowledgment of country, the opening prayer, and introductory remarks. It was concluded
- [Lunchtime Seminar](https://aiocs.net/lunchtime-seminar/) - A snapshot of the event Doru Costache joined the Revd Dr Chris Mulherin, ISCAST Executive Director, for a conversation with the Faculty of Catholic Theological College (University of Divinity), Melbourne VIC. The seminar took place via Zoom on 8 October 2021, and was an excellent opportunity for providing details about the many current and exciting
- [Award](https://aiocs.net/award/) - AIOCS' founding director, Doru Costache, has recently become the first-ever winner of the Selby Old Fellowship in Religious History of the Orthodox Christian Faith at the University of Sydney. He was awarded this one-year, part-time (three days/week) fellowship in order to pursue research for two of his current projects, namely, Maximus the Confessor's "theory of
- [AIOCS Conversations: Kostas Tampakis](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-kostas-tampakis/) - L to R: Dr Alexei Nesteruk, Dr Kostas Tampakis, and Doru Costache (Athens, February 2018) A conversation with Dr Konstantinos (Kostas) Tampakis, Associate Researcher at the Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens, Greece. The discussion moved from Kostas' career trajectory to his current research in contemporary Orthodox attitudes towards the
- [The Penultimate Curiosity](https://aiocs.net/the-penultimate-curiosity/) - AIOCS is pleased to draw your attention to a tremendous resource for exploring the mysteries of existence through the gates of Curiosity! The website The Penultimate Curiosity draws on the fascinating 2016 book coauthored by the poet and artist Roger Wagner and the Oxford scientist Andrew Briggs, The Penultimate Curiosity: How Science Swims in the
- [Wagdy Samir, Member of AIEP](https://aiocs.net/wagdy-samir-member-of-aiep/) - On 17 September 2021, Dr Wagdy Samir, AIOCS Director for Orthodox Studies, has become a member of the prestigious Association Internationale d’Études Patristiques/International Association of Patristic Studies (AIEP/IAPS). The Association has its centre in Paris, France. This membership recognises his contributions to the advancement of patristic studies, especially his comparative research of the wisdom of
- [Participation in the Divine Life (Part One)](https://aiocs.net/participation-in-the-divine-life/) - Father Matta al-Miskīn’s on Participation in the Divine Life in Commentary on the Gospel of St John Part One: Creation, Fall, Incarnation by Wagdy Samir The focus of this article is on Fr Matta al-Miskīn’s Commentary on the Gospel of St John, written in Arabic between 1989 and 1990. He produced a tripartite volume, an
- [Making Sense of Orthodox Christianity through the Liturgy's Lens](https://aiocs.net/making-sense-of-orthodox-christianity-through-the-liturgys-lens/) - by The Seeker The divine liturgy is the local community of the kingdom gathered together in partnership with God and sharing in the divinised humanity of Christ. It is clear that it is a local community from the first section of the liturgy—at Saint Gregory's called, after the ancient custom, synaxis, “the gathering”—and in language
- [AIOCS Conversations: Antonios Kaldas](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-antonios-kaldas/) - A conversation with Father Antonios Kaldas, Lecturer in Philosophy and Apologetics at St Cyril's Coptic Orthodox Theological College, a member institution of the Sydney College of Divinity. A priest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, Father Antonios is a medical doctor with leadership experience in the school system. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy from Macquarie
- [Father Matta’s Orthodox Prayer Life (Part One)](https://aiocs.net/father-mattas-orthodox-prayer-life-part-one/) - The Nature of Prayer by Wagdy Samir In this essay I discuss Father Matta’s understanding of prayer as outlined in his first written work, Orthodox Prayer Life: The Interior Way, first published in Arabic in 1952 (four years after entering monastic life), followed by multiple editions over the years. This work was translated into several languages,
- [AIEP/IAPS Interview](https://aiocs.net/aiep-iaps-interview/) - On 11 September 2021 the YouTube channel of the International Association of Patristic Studies (AIEP/IAPS) premiered the video recording of an interview of Associate Professor Doru Costache, AIOCS' founding director. The interview, conducted by Dr Andrew Mellas, from St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College, is entitled "Patristic Studies, Interdisciplinary Approaches, and Orthodox Christianity." The discussion
- [AIOCS Conversations: Nikos Livanos](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-nikos-livanos/) - A conversation with Dr Nikos Livanos, researcher at Institute of Historical Research/IHR of the National Hellenic Research Foundation/NHRF, Athens. Nikos is a Byzantinist trained in medieval and modern Greek philology (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 2006), history, archaeology, and social anthropology (University of Thessaly, 2011). He earned his doctorate in history, archaeology, and social
- [AIOCS Conversations: Efthymios Nicolaidis](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-efthymios-nicolaidis/) - A conversation with Professor Efthymios Nicolaidis, Research Director of the Institute of Historical Research at the National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens, Greece. Efthymios received training as a physical scientist, more specifically as an astronomer, but he wrote a doctoral dissertation in the history of science at L'École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris (1983).
- [Change of Mind](https://aiocs.net/change-of-mind/) - by Zenaida Dunlop During the pandemic, Christian churches have done their best to ensure our ecclesial life goes on as close to normal as is possible. Liturgies/services are live streamed and small groups meet online for prayer or Bible study. Some have added a few extra online meetings, or started new initiatives in their communities,
- [Book Chapter: "Orthodox"](https://aiocs.net/book-chapter-orthodox/) - AIOCS' founding director, Doru Costache, has published a short essay, "Orthodox," in the volume Christianity in Oceania, released by the Edinburgh University Press in September 2021 (pp. 171-176). The volume is part of the prestigious series, Edinburgh Companions to Global Christianity, being edited by Kenneth R. Ross, Katalina Tahaafe-Williams, and Todd M. Johnson. Costache's contribution,
- [Humankind and the Cosmos](https://aiocs.net/humankind-and-the-cosmos/) - AIOCS' founding director, Doru Costache, has published a monograph in the prestigious series Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae, the 170th volume of the series. The book is called Humankind and the Cosmos: Early Christian Representations (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2021). It addresses matters of the early Christian worldview at the crossing of science and religion, patristics,
- [Participation in the Divine Life (Part Two)](https://aiocs.net/participation-in-the-divine-life-part-two/) - Father Matta al-Miskīn’s on Participation in the Divine Life in Commentary on the Gospel of St John Part Two: The Spirit and the Sacraments by Wagdy Samir In addition to his intense christocentrism, Father Matta also refers to the Holy Spirit’s role in his account of humankind’s union with God. In fact, the primary goal
- [Father Matta Al-Miskin's Ecumenical Message](https://aiocs.net/father-matta-al-miskins-ecumenical-message/) - by Wagdy Samir In July 2016, I travelled with family and friends to Jerusalem. It was my first visit to the Holy Land. The Church of the Resurrection had, as one would imagine, a deep impact upon me. I was standing proximate to where Christ was crucified, buried, and resurrected! That extraordinary spiritual feeling, shared
- [Father Matta al-Miskīn: A Biographical Snapshot](https://aiocs.net/father-matta-al-miskin-a-biographical-snapshot/) - by Wagdy Samir Here is a fact that usually doesn’t impress modern audiences: In the desert of Wadi El-Natrun, some 139km from the centre of Alexandria, lived and wrote a contemporary desert father. This is Father Matta al-Miskīn (Matta El Meskeen) or Matthew the Poor (1919–2006), one of the first university-educated monks in modern Coptic
- [My Ecumenical Journey: Paradisal Perspectives](https://aiocs.net/my-ecumenical-journey/) - by Doru Costache I love gardens, but I am not your garden-variety ecumenist. That is to say, I am not extremely fond of any institutional forms of conversation between Christians of different traditions. In fact, I am not fond of any forms of institutional Christianity either. Rather, day by day I joyfully discover the Holy
- [The Early Christian Sense of Wonder at God’s Creation](https://aiocs.net/the-early-christian-sense-of-wonder-at-gods-creation/) - by Doru Costache [A talk given at Pitt Street Uniting Church, Sydney, on 6 June 2021] I am grateful for The Revd Dr Josephine Inkpin’s gracious invitation to speak to you on this second Sunday after Pentecost, in the wake of World Environment Day (5 June 2021). I shall begin by pointing out that the
- [Elijah: A Story of Flight, Deconstruction and Finding God](https://aiocs.net/elijah-a-story-of-flight-deconstruction-and-finding-god/) - by Doru Costache The month of July occasions for the Orthodox the remembrance of a Christian saint, Prophet Elijah (Elias) who lived before the Lord’s incarnation. Perhaps one of the most enigmatic figures in the entire Scripture, Elijah remains the image of the saint par excellence, whose life illustrates the paradoxes pertaining to the spiritual
- [ISCAST Research Director](https://aiocs.net/iscast-research-director/) - A photo from ISCAST's first staff meeting of the new team 21 May 2021 At the end of May 2021, Doru Costache has become Research Director of ISCAST (the Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology), Melbourne VIC, where he works part time. In that capacity, he is tasked
- [Academic Promotion](https://aiocs.net/academic-promotion/) - In June 2021, Doru Costache was promoted to Associate Professor within the Sydney College of Divinity's Graduate Research School. In that capacity, he supervises higher degrees by research (currently supervising three doctoral candidates), and also undertakes his own research. For example, he is a member of the working party led by Professor Neil Ormerod, organising
- [Bucharest Lecture](https://aiocs.net/bucharest-lecture/) - 16 February 2017 At the invitation of Dr Magda Stavinschi (Institute for Transdisciplinary Studies in Science, Spirituality, Society, Bucharest), Doru Costache offered, in Romanian, the lecture 'From Astronomy to Theology: Natural Contemplation in Clement the Alexandrian.' The event was hosted by the National Library of Romania. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=651&v=MtUtdUwgwi8 Slides. Abstract: Elaborating within the Platonic paradigm, Clement the
- [Evolution & Creation Panel](https://aiocs.net/evolution-creation-panel/) - 18 June 2017 Doru Costache was part of a panel on 'Evolution and Creation' organised by the Coptic Apologetics Group Aletheia. The panel also included Professor Michael Archer (University of New South Wales) and Dr Abraam Philips (Aletheia). The panel was moderated by Revd Dr Antonios Kaldas (St Cyril's Coptic Orthodox Theological College). Doru Costache's
- [Who’s Afraid of the Dialogue of Theology and Contemporary Science?](https://aiocs.net/whos-afraid-of-the-dialogue-of-theology-and-contemporary-science/) - Evasion and the antagonist idea cannot be the choice of the Church with reference to contemporary culture.
- [Divine Presence, Synergy and Purpose](https://aiocs.net/divine-presence-synergy-and-purpose/) - by Doru Costache I share with you a brief video recording taken during one of my last undergraduate lectures at St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College (a member institution of the Sydney College of Divinity), semester two, 13 October 2016. I consider particularities of the early Christian representation of reality, based on the wisdom of
- [The Universe Maker](https://aiocs.net/the-universe-maker/) - 22 March 2018. Doru Costache met Durham cosmologist Professor Richard Bower, from The Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics, Department of Physics, Durham University. Professor Bower described the nature of his research, particularly the modelling of universes which assist astronomers to make sense of the real universe. Among other topics, Professor Bower and Dr Costache discussed about
- [Terra Lucida or Free of the Mists of Confusion](https://aiocs.net/terra-lucida-or-out-of-the-mists-of-confusion/) - by Doru Costache The project of an involved Christianity, which, according to Letter to Diognetus 6, corresponds to the workings of the soul within a body, is undermined primarily from within by the wrong reasons that motivate our actions. We, Christians, cannot be the soul of the world when we barricade ourselves in the ivory tower
- [Holism, Dynamism, and Integration: The Anthropological Thinking of Panayiotis Nellas](https://aiocs.net/holism-dynamism-and-integration-the-anthropological-thinking-of-panayiotis-nellas/) - by Doru Costache The anthropological thinking of Panayiotis Nellas is as normative to me as that of Father Dumitru Stăniloae—the Romanian theologian through whom I made first contact with the traditional, ecclesial, and complex message of the great Greek scholar. The approaches of the two men to the mystery of human existence are virtually identical.
- [Look Up to the Skies and See](https://aiocs.net/look-up-to-the-skies-and-see/) - On 23 May 2018, Doru Costache presented the talk 'Look Up to the Skies and See: The Vocation of Stargazing' for Catholic Chaplaincy, Macquarie University (North Ryde NSW). Abstract: On the 23rd May, Australia will attempt to break the Guinness world record for the most people stargazing in multiple locations. Why all this interest and hype
- [A Triadic Pattern within a Triadic Pattern](https://aiocs.net/a-triadic-pattern-within-a-triadic-pattern/) - Doru Costache (here pictured with Associate Professor Adam Cooper, Associate Dean Research of John Paul II Institute) presented a paper for Tradition and Innovation in Early Christianity, a symposium held at Institute for Religion & Critical Inquiry, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, 15-17 August 2018. His presentation was titled ‘A Triadic Pattern within a Triadic Pattern:
- [From Astronomy to Theology](https://aiocs.net/from-astronomy-to-theology/) - On 21 August 2018, Doru Costache gave a talk, 'From Astronomy to Theology: The Interdisciplinary Story of Abraham in Clement,' for the research seminar of School of Philosophy and Theology (Sydney), The University of Notre Dame Australia. In his presentation, Costache addressed aspects pertaining to his current research in Clement the Alexandrian's natural contemplation, particularly
- [Creation or Evolution?](https://aiocs.net/creation-or-evolution/) - On 5 September 2018, Doru Costache talked about 'Creation or Evolution? Early Christian Views of Genesis 1' during an event organised at Macquarie University by Catholic Society, Catholic Chaplaincy, and Orthodox Chaplaincy. In his talk, in line with his essay 'Terra Lucida or Free of the Mists of Confusion,' he discussed the need to draw
- [Anthropology at the Crossroads](https://aiocs.net/1003-2/) - On 29 November 2018, Doru Costache presented the paper 'Anthropology at the Crossroads: The Contribution of Panayiotis Nellas' for the third international conference of project Science and Orthodoxy around the World. The project is run by the Institute of Historical Research with the National Hellenic Research Foundation, being funded by grants from the Templeton World
- [Genesis Theology: Patristic Understandings](https://aiocs.net/genesis-theology-patristic-understandings/) - by Doru Costache In my early days in the University of Bucharest, I was confronted by the opinion of many colleagues and students that the Orthodox must side with creationism against evolution. This meant presenting Genesis 1–2 literally, as a scientifically accurate report on the universe. I begged to differ and ended up quite isolated.
- [Father Dumitru Staniloae, Contemporary Cosmology, and the Traditional Worldview](https://aiocs.net/new-journal-article/) - This is to signal a new publication from AIOCS' founder. Doru Costache published the article 'Father Dumitru Stăniloae, Contemporary Cosmology, and the Traditional Worldview.' The paper features in the prestigious journal Synaxi (146/2018: 20-28) founded by Panayiotis Nellas, in the Greek translation of Apostolos Apostolides. Abstract: The remarkable contributions of Father Dumitru Stăniloae (1903-1993) ranged from
- [A Theology of the World](https://aiocs.net/book-chapter-by-aiocs-founder/) - Resulting from the author's presentation for the first international conference of project Science and Orthodoxy around the World (Athens, 2016), Doru Costache's chapter, 'A Theology of the World: Dumitru Stăniloae, the Traditional Worldview, and Contemporary Cosmology,' is published in volume Orthodox Christianity and Modern Science: Tensions, Ambiguities, Potential (Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, 2019). Edited by Vasilios
- [The Orthodox Doctrine of Creation in the Age of Science](https://aiocs.net/the-orthodox-doctrine-of-creation-in-the-age-of-science/) - AIOCS' founder, Doru Costache, published an article, 'The Orthodox Doctrine of Creation in the Age of Science,' in Journal of Orthodox Christian Studies 2:1 (2019) 43-64. This article addresses the Orthodox Christian representation of reality, or doctrine of creation, and the possible need to rephrase and communicate its meaning within the parameters of contemporary scientific
- [The Wildness of God’s Creation, the “First World,” and Ancient Christian Wisdom](https://aiocs.net/the-wildness-of-gods-creation-the-first-world-and-ancient-christian-wisdom/) - Lessons from the Pandemic Doru Costache "People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time." C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia 2) The early Christians might have lived in a “precritical age,” as we judge
- [Theology, Spirituality, Science, and Technology: Strange Bedfellows?](https://aiocs.net/theology-spirituality-science-and-technology-strange-bedfellows/) - Doru Costache There is a widespread view that traditional Christianity is fundamentalist and, as such, that it is opposed to rational thinking, philosophy, science, and technology. People who entertain this view, Christian and secular alike, usually refer to the scriptural stories of the Fall and the Tower as their proofs. The Fall of Adam and
- [Orthodoxy and Science](https://aiocs.net/orthodoxy-and-science/) - Doru Costache, AIOCS' founding director, has just published an article in the prestigious journal of the World Council of Churches, The Ecumenical Review (72:3/2020). The article, "Orthodoxy and Science: Insights from the Holy and Great Council" (pp. 396-408) addresses the Orthodox attitude towards the scientific culture of our time as evidenced by three documents of the
- [Chapter in Romanian on Orthodox Christianity and Science](https://aiocs.net/chapter-in-romanian-on-orthodox-christianity-and-science/) - Doru Costache published a version in Romanian of his article “Orthodoxy and Science: Insights from the Holy and Great Council.” In this iteration, the material appears as a book chapter in an edited volume. The title of the Romanian version is "Ortodoxia și Lumea Științei Contemporane în Documentele Sfântului și Marelui Sinod," being published in Biserica
- [ISCAST Article on Project SOW](https://aiocs.net/iscast-post-on-project-sow/) - At the invitation of the Revd Dr Chris Mulherin, Executive Director of ISCAST Christians in Science and Technology, AIOCS' founding director Doru Costache wrote a short article for the website. Here it is: The Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (Athens) ran a project Science and Orthodoxy around the World/SOW from 2016 to
- [Maximus the Confessor and John Damascene’s Cosmology](https://aiocs.net/maximus-the-confessor-and-john-damascenes-cosmology-2/) - An expert in early Christian and Byzantine cosmology, Doru Costache published the chapter “Maximus the Confessor and John Damascene’s Cosmology.” The chapter appears in the prestigious volume The T&T Clark Handbook of Christian Theology and the Modern Sciences, published in London by Bloomsbury T&T Clark, in 2020. The contribution features in the company of chapters
- [Orthodox Perspectives on Theology, Spirituality, Science, and Technology](https://aiocs.net/orthodox-perspectives-on-theology-spirituality-science-and-technology/) - AIOCS' founder Doru Costache published an article, "Orthodox Perspectives on Theology, Spirituality, Science, and Technology," based on a conference paper he offered for ISCAST's 2020 Conference. The article appeared in Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Theologia Orthodoxa 65:2 (2020) 5-25. The original talk on which the article is based can be viewed here: Abstract: This paper considers
- [AIOCS Conversations: Glen O'Brien](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-glen-obrien/) - A conversation with The Revd Associate Professor Glen O'Brien from Eva Burrows College at the University of Divinity, Melbourne VIC Australia, on his recent initiatives. Glen and his colleague, The Revd Dr Arseny Ermakov, designed and are in the process of delivering a suite of three course units in futurism. These are, namely, Futurism and
- [AIOCS Conversations: Arseny Ermakov](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-arseny-ermakov/) - A conversation with The Revd Dr Arseny Ermakov from Eva Burrows College at the University of Divinity, Melbourne VIC Australia, on his recent initiatives. Arseny and his colleague, The Revd Associate Professor Glen O'Brien, designed and are in the process of delivering a suite of three course units in futurism, technological advancements, human enhancement, and the
- [AIOCS Conversations: Chris Mulherin](https://aiocs.net/aiocs-conversations-chris-mulherin/) - A conversation with The Revd Dr Chris Mulherin from Catholic Theological College (CTC) at the University of Divinity, Melbourne VIC Australia, on his work in the field of science & faith, and on ISCAST's activity. Chris also is the Executive Director of ISCAST, which stands for the Institute for the Study of Christianity in an
- [Are Christians Creationists? Must Scientists Be Evolutionists? A Methodological and Theological Answer](https://aiocs.net/are-christians-creationists-must-scientists-be-evolutionists-a-methodological-and-theological-answer/) - On 24 June 2021, Doru Costache gave the tenth talk in the second series of ISCAST Conversations for the current year. The talk was titled "Are Christians Creationists? Must Scientists Be Evolutionists? A Methodological and Theological Answer." The session was moderated by The Revd Dr Chris Mulherin, ISCAST Executive Director. Here is the video recording
- [Revoluția Pascală: Prima Duminică](https://aiocs.net/revolutia-pascala-prima-duminica/) - Reflecții despre sezonul pascal Protopresbiter Dr Doru Costache Partea întâi: Prima Duminică Înregistrare din 21 aprilie 2020 Free content Tema: Adopțiunea divină și înnoirea lăuntrică English version Un context pentru reflecție (în engleză) The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the Risen Lord Analiza citirilor scripturale ale sărbătorii: Fapte 1:1–8; Ioan 1:1–17 Traducere din
- [Revoluția Pascală: A Doua Duminică](https://aiocs.net/revolutia-pascala-a-doua-duminica/) - Reflecții despre sezonul pascal Protopresbiter Dr Doru Costache Partea a doua: A Doua Duminică Înregistrare din 1 mai 2020 Free content English version Un context pentru reflecție (în engleză) The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the Risen Lord Analiza citirilor scripturale ale sărbătorii: Fapte 5:12–20. Ioan 20:19–31. Traducere din Reading Scripture in the
- [Revoluția Pascală: A Treia Duminică](https://aiocs.net/revolutia-pascala-a-treia-duminica/) - Reflecții despre sezonul pascal Protopresbiter Dr Doru Costache Partea a treia: A Treia Duminică Înregistrare din 7 mai 2020 Free content Tema: Viața normală a bisericii și locul femeii creștine English version Un context pentru reflecție (în engleză) The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the Risen Lord Analiza citirilor scripturale ale sărbătorii: Fapte
- [Revoluția Pascală: A Patra Duminică](https://aiocs.net/revolutia-pascala-a-patra-duminica/) - Reflecții despre sezonul pascal Protopresbiter Dr Doru Costache Partea a patra: A Patra Duminică Înregistrare din 15 mai 2020 Free content Tema: Vindecarea vieții personale și eclesiale English Un context pentru reflecție (în engleză) The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the Risen Lord Analiza citirilor scripturale ale sărbătorii: Fapte 9:32–42. Ioan 5:1–15. Traducere
- [Revoluția Pascală: A Cincea Duminică](https://aiocs.net/revolutia-pascala-a-cincea-duminica/) - Reflecții despre sezonul pascal Protopresbiter Dr Doru Costache Partea a cincea: A Cincea Duminică Înregistrare din 21 mai 2020 Free content Tema: Evanghelia este pentru toți, indiferent de neam și limbă English version Un context pentru reflecție (în engleză) The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the Risen Lord Analiza citirilor scripturale ale sărbătorii:
- [Revoluția Pascală: A Șasea Duminică](https://aiocs.net/revolutia-pascala-a-sasea-duminica/) - Reflecții despre sezonul pascal Protopresbiter Dr Doru Costache Partea a șasea: A Șasea Duminică Înregistrare din 27 mai 2020 Free content Tema: De la luminarea personală la împărăția dintre noi English version Un context pentru reflecție (în engleză) The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the Risen Lord Analiza citirilor scripturale ale sărbătorii: Fapte
- [Pășind spre Post: Prima Treaptă](https://aiocs.net/pasind-spre-post-prima-treapta/) - Prelegerile AIOCS 2021 [Free content © AIOCS] Pășind spre Post: Reflecții Pregătitoare Prima Parte: A Treizeci și Doua Duminică după Cincizecime 19 februarie Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache Citirile scripturale ale duminicii: 1 Timotei 4, 9–15. Luca 19, 1–10 Un context al interpretării: Doru Costache, Citirea Scripturii în Biserica Ortodoxă: Jurnal (Sydney: AIOCS Press, 2021) 85–87. Rezumatele
- [Pășind spre Post: A Treia Treaptă](https://aiocs.net/pasind-spre-post-a-treia-treapta/) - Prelegerile AIOCS 2021 [Free content © AIOCS] Pășind spre Post: Reflecții Pregătitoare A Treia Parte: A Treizeci și Patra Duminică după Cincizecime 3 martie Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache Citirile scripturale ale duminicii: 1 Corinteni 6,12–20; Luca 15,11–32 Un context al interpretării: Doru Costache, Citirea Scripturii în Biserica Ortodoxă: Jurnal (Sydney: AIOCS Press, 2021) 87–88. Rezumatele 1 Corinteni 6,12–20
- [Pășind spre Post: A Patra Treaptă](https://aiocs.net/pasind-spre-post-a-patra-treapta/) - Prelegerile AIOCS 2021 [Free content © AIOCS] Pășind spre Post: Reflecții Pregătitoare A Patra Parte: A Treizeci și Cincea Duminică după Cincizecime 9 martie Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache Citirile scripturale ale duminicii: 1 Corinteni 8,8–9,2; Matei 25,31–46 Un context al interpretării: Doru Costache, Citirea Scripturii în Biserica Ortodoxă: Jurnal (Sydney: AIOCS Press, 2021) 90–92. Rezumatele 1 Corinteni 8,8–9,2
- [Pășind spre Post: A Cincea Treaptă](https://aiocs.net/pasind-spre-post-a-patra-treapta-2/) - Prelegerile AIOCS 2021 [Free content © AIOCS] Pășind spre Post: Reflecții Pregătitoare A Cincea Parte: A Treizeci și Șasea Duminică după Cincizecime 16 martie Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache Citirile scripturale ale duminicii: Romani 13:11​–14.4; Matei 6:14​–21 Un context al interpretării: Doru Costache, Citirea Scripturii în Biserica Ortodoxă: Jurnal (Sydney: AIOCS Press, 2021) 92–94. Rezumatele Romani 13,11–14,4 Mântuirea este
- [Ways of Knowing God 01](https://aiocs.net/ways-of-knowing-god-01/) - Lecture One: The Gradual and Multiple Ways of Divine Revelation. Lecture outlines Our call to know God, the current landscape and the reasons for which people do not know God How can God be known? The prerequisites of divine knowledge God’s self-disclosure to us and its witnesses
- [Ways of Knowing God 02](https://aiocs.net/ways-of-knowing-god-02/) - Lecture Two: Revelation through Creation and the Contemplation of God’s Marks in Nature Lecture outlines God’s revelation through creation The contemplation of God’s marks in nature
- [Ways of Knowing God 03](https://aiocs.net/ways-of-knowing-god-03/) - Lecture Three: Historical Revelation, Theophany and Knowing God through Pondering the Scriptural Witness Lecture outlines God’s revelation in history Theophanies The contemplation of God’s marks in Scripture
- [Ways of Knowing God 04](https://aiocs.net/ways-of-knowing-god-04/) - Lecture Four: The Outpouring of the Spirit, the Experiences of the Saints and the Ecclesial Framework Lecture outlines The work of the Holy Spirit Knowing God through the mystical experience Knowing God in the assembly of the saints
- [Ways of Knowing God 05](https://aiocs.net/ways-of-knowing-god-05/) - Lecture Five: Tradition and the Authentication of Divine Knowledge Lecture outlines The validation of divine knowledge within the ecclesial framework or the assembly of the saints The validation of divine knowledge within tradition The charismatic validation of divine knowledge
- [Ways of Knowing God 06](https://aiocs.net/ways-of-knowing-god-06/) - Lecture Sixth: Cataphatic Expressions, the Icon and the Apophatic Reverence Lecture outlines Faith, experience, validation and theological articulation Cataphatic expressions Elements of iconology Apophatic reverence The rapport between the various expressions of divine knowledge
- [The Paschal Revolution: The First Sunday](https://aiocs.net/the-paschal-revolution-the-first-sunday/) - Reflections on the Paschal season Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache Part One: The First Sunday Recorded on 21 April 2020 Free content Topic: Divine adoption and inner renewal Versiunea românească Reflective framework The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the Risen Lord Reflection on the festival's scriptural readings: Acts 1:1–8; John 1:1–17 Excerpt from Reading
- [The Paschal Revolution: The Second Sunday](https://aiocs.net/the-paschal-revolution-the-second-sunday/) - Reflections on the Paschal season Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache Part Two: The Second Sunday Recorded on 29 April 2020 Free content Topic: The opening of our eyes towards understanding and life Versiunea românească Reflective framework The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the Risen Lord Reflection on the festival’s scriptural readings: Acts 5:12–20. John
- [The Paschal Revolution: The Third Sunday](https://aiocs.net/the-paschal-revolution-the-third-sunday/) - Reflections on the Paschal season Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache Part Three: The Third Sunday Recorded on 6 May 2020 Free content Topic: The church's normal life and the status of Christian women Versiunea românească A related talk, my live sermon for the same Sunday Reflective framework The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the
- [The Paschal Revolution: The Fourth Sunday](https://aiocs.net/the-paschal-revolution-the-fourth-sunday/) - Reflections on the Paschal season Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache Part Four: The Fourth Sunday Recorded on 13 May 2020 Free content Topic: Discriminations of all kinds and the need for personal and social healing Versiunea românească Reflective framework The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the Risen Lord Reflection on the festival’s scriptural readings:
- [The Paschal Revolution: The Fifth Sunday](https://aiocs.net/the-paschal-revolution-the-fifth-sunday/) - Reflections on the Paschal season Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache Part Five: The Fifth Sunday Recorded on 22 May 2020 Free content Topic: The Gospel is for all, regardless of ethnic background and language Versiunea românească OR Reflective framework The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the Risen Lord Reflection on the festival’s scriptural readings:
- [The Paschal Revolution: The Sixth Sunday](https://aiocs.net/the-paschal-revolution-the-sixth-sunday/) - Reflections on the Paschal season Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache Part Five: The Fifth Sunday Recorded on 27 May 2020 Free content Topic: From personal enlightenment to meaningful activity Versiunea românească OR Reflective framework The Paschal Revolution: Beyond the Forty Days with the Risen Lord Reflection on the festival’s scriptural readings: Acts 16:16–34. John 9:1–38. Excerpt
- [The Pre-Lenten Narrative: The First Stage](https://aiocs.net/the-pre-lenten-narrative-the-first-stage/) - The AIOCS Short Courses 2021 [Free content © AIOCS] The Pre-Lenten Narrative: Preparatory Reflections The first part: The Thirty-Second Sunday after Pentecost 22 February Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache The scriptural readings prescribed for this Sunday: 1 Timothy 4,9–15. Luke 19:1–10. An interpretive framework: Doru Costache, Reading Scripture in the Orthodox Church: A Diary (Sydney: AIOCS
- [The Pre-Lenten Narrative: The Second Stage](https://aiocs.net/the-pre-lenten-narrative-the-second-stage/) - The AIOCS Short Courses 2021 [Free content © AIOCS] The Pre-Lenten Narrative: Preparatory Reflections The second part: The Thirty-Third Sunday after Pentecost 24 February Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache The scriptural readings prescribed for this Sunday: 2 Timothy 3:10–15. Luke 18:10–14. An interpretive framework: Doru Costache, Reading Scripture in the Orthodox Church: A Diary (Sydney: AIOCS Press,
- [The Pre-Lenten Narrative: The Third Stage](https://aiocs.net/the-pre-lenten-narrative-the-third-stage/) - The AIOCS Short Courses 2021 [Free content © AIOCS] The Pre-Lenten Narrative: Preparatory Reflections The third part: The Thirty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost 4 March Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache The scriptural readings prescribed for this Sunday: 1 Corinthians 6:12​–20. Luke 15:11​–32. An interpretive framework: Doru Costache, Reading Scripture in the Orthodox Church: A Diary (Sydney: AIOCS Press,
- [The Pre-Lenten Narrative: The Fourth Stage](https://aiocs.net/the-pre-lenten-narrative-the-fourth-stage/) - The AIOCS Short Courses 2021 [Free content © AIOCS] The Pre-Lenten Narrative: Preparatory Reflections The fourth part: The Thirty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost 11 March Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache The scriptural readings prescribed for this Sunday: 1 Corinthians 8:8–9:2. Matthew 25:31​–46. An interpretive framework: Doru Costache, Reading Scripture in the Orthodox Church: A Diary (Sydney: AIOCS Press,
- [The Pre-Lenten Narrative: The Fifth Stage](https://aiocs.net/the-pre-lenten-narrative-the-fourth-stage-2/) - The AIOCS Short Courses 2021 [Free content © AIOCS] The Pre-Lenten Narrative: Preparatory Reflections The fifth part: The Thirty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost 17 March Protopresbyter Dr Doru Costache The scriptural readings prescribed for this Sunday: Romans 13:11​–14.4. Matthew 6:14​–21. An interpretive framework: Doru Costache, Reading Scripture in the Orthodox Church: A Diary (Sydney: AIOCS Press, 2018)
- [The Mystical Supper in Two Glass-Painted Icons from Nicula](https://aiocs.net/the-mystical-supper-in-two-glass-painted-icons-from-nicula/) - by Alina Victoria Paraschiv In the fullness of time, Thursday, before his passion, Jesus had the Last Supper with his disciples in Jerusalem. As Saint Matthew’s Gospel describes, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this
- [Entering the Season of Bright Sadness](https://aiocs.net/entering-the-season-of-bright-sadness/) - Monica Ibrahim [Free content © AIOCS] Last week we commenced a season in the Orthodox Church’s liturgical cycle known as the Triodion, a three-week period which announces the coming of Great Lent. Fr Alexander Schmeman popularly labelled Great Lent as the season of “Bright Sadness” because, as he describes it, the period is marked by
- [Introducing a Unique Glass-Painted Icon from the Laz Workshop](https://aiocs.net/introducing-a-unique-glass-painted-icon-from-the-laz-workshop/) - by Alina Victoria Paraschiv [Free content © AIOCS] The icon presented here is found in the collection of the ASTRA Museum of Sibiu, Transylvania, Romania. It was painted in the second half of the nineteenth century by Simion Poienaru (1802-1872), a master painter from the village of Laz on the River Sebeș. Simion continued the
- [The Orthodox Spring: A Diary](https://aiocs.net/upcoming-book-at-aiocs-press/) - Our press had released The Orthodox Spring: A Diary, a book by Doru Costache. The book records the author's reflections on topics pertaining to the Orthodox Christian tradition and way of life. It addresses contemporary impasses and aspirations, and suggests a range of solutions for current dilemmas. The volume is available for purchase in hardcopy ISBN 9780648440123
- [Revenirea la Izvoare](https://aiocs.net/revenirea-la-izvoare/) - de Nicușor Nacu De ce trebuie să parcurgem obligatoriu cartea din imaginea de mai jos Presupun că mulți doresc să înțeleagă cum se interpretează textul evanghelic citit în duminici. Mai presupun că mulți s-au izbit de aproximări sau de puncte de vedere care le îngreună și mai mult înțelegerea, adăugând un plus de ambiguitate la
- [Dr Nicusor Nacu despre Primavara Ortodoxiei](https://aiocs.net/dr-nicusor-nacu-despre-primavara-ortodoxiei/) - de Nicușor Nacu Maniera lui Doru de-a reflecta la Adevărul creștinismului n-a fost niciodată comodă. El a ieșit întotdeauna din monotonia tiparelor, făcând-o pe cât de inconfundabil, pe atât de asumat. Primăvara Ortodoxiei nu este o carte comodă, ci răscolitoare și, de aici, esențială. Textul interoghează, cheamă la discernământ și croiește sensuri noi acolo unde
- [John Chrysostom: Past, Present, Future](https://aiocs.net/john-chrysostom-past-present-future/) - Edited by Doru Costache and Mario Baghos. This book comprises chapters by a group of eight scholars from Australia and two from abroad, aiming to offer fresh, interdenominational, and interdisciplinary perspectives on the life, thought, and legacy of one of the most influential preachers and theologians of early Christianity, John Chrysostom. The contributors to this
- [Reading Scripture in the Orthodox Church: The Sunday Cycle](https://aiocs.net/reading-scripture-in-the-orthodox-church-the-sunday-cycle/) - Doru Costache Reading Scripture in the Orthodox Church: The Sunday Cycle. There is also a Romanian translation available. A book of reflections on the yearly Sunday cycle of scriptural readings in the Orthodox Christian tradition. Each reflection consists of a summary of the scriptural readings, a meditation, a brief message, and keywords. The book has
- [Primavara Ortodoxiei: Jurnal](https://aiocs.net/primavara-ortodoxiei-jurnal/) - Acest volum ebook prezintă în limba română cartea Protopresbiterului Dr Doru Costache, The Orthodox Spring: A Diary (2020), conținând revizuiri ale originalului a cărui ediție a doua se află în pregătire. Mai mult, traducerea autorului este însoțită de câteva modificări ale originalului menite să aducă mesajul cărții mai aproape de experiența publicului românesc. Cartea consemnează
- [Citirea Scripturii în Biserica Ortodoxă: Ciclul Duminical](https://aiocs.net/citirea-scripturii-in-biserica-ortodoxa-ciclul-duminical/) - Acest volum ebook prezintă în limba română cartea Protopresbiterului Dr Doru Costache, Reading Scripture in the Orthodox Church: The Sunday Cycle (2018), conținând revizuiri ale originalului a cărui ediție a doua se află în pregătire. De asemenea, traducerea autorului este însoțită de câteva modificări ale originalului menite să aducă mesajul cărții mai aproape de experiența
- [Light, Water and Fire: Bearing Witness to God in the Changing Australian Landscape](https://aiocs.net/light-water-and-fire-bearing-witness-to-god-in-the-changing-australian-landscape/) - by Monica Ibrahim The troparion for the Christmas Royal Hours looks forward to the feast that is about to follow, “We worship your Nativity, O Christ, show us your glorious Theophany.” Often, our liturgical hymns subtly refer to the preceding feast or the one which follows the one that is being celebrated, highlighting their ongoing
- [Postfață la Asta aș fi vrut să știu!](https://aiocs.net/postfata-la-asta-aș-fi-vrut-să-știu/) - AIOCS' founder Doru Costache wrote an 'Afterword' to the translation into Romanian of Anastasios Kallis's book Asta aș fi vrut să știu! 100 de întrebări adresate unui teolog ortodox (Alba Iulia: Reîntregirea, 2020). The translation was made by Cezar Marksteiner-Ungureanu. Below is the text of the 'Afterword' in the original Romanian. Fondatorul AIOCS, Doru Costache,
- [Book Launch: A Celebration of Ut unum sint](https://aiocs.net/book-launch-a-celebration-of-ut-unum-sint/) - On 2 December took place the book launch of A Celebration of Ut unum sint: The 25th Anniversary (Sydney, 2020), edited by Diane Speed and Doru Costache on behalf of NSW Ecumenical Council's Theological Reflection Commission. The volume was launched by the Revd Professor Gerard Kelly on the occasion of the meeting of the Heads
- [Dr Marius Ciulu despre Primavara Ortodoxiei](https://aiocs.net/dr-marius-ciulu-despre-primavara-ortodoxiei/) - Primăvara ortodoxiei: O posibilă definiție a Ortodoxiei, prilejuită de trăiri, lecturi și căutări sincere de Marius Ciulu Primăvara Ortodoxiei oferă cititorului privilegiul de a se bucura de experiența (academică și duhovnicească a) Pr. Doru Costache. Acesta, în calitatea sa de membru al unei comunități academice recunoscută la nivel internațional, buchisind textele Antichității Târzii, traducând, interpretând
- [Bulk Orders](https://aiocs.net/bulk-orders/) - Discounts are available for orders in Australia and North America amounting to more than 5 copies of a given title published by AIOCS Press. The discounts vary in proportion to the amount of copies ordered. Postage costs are set after the amount of needed copies is determined. For further details, please contact us via email
- [Orthodox Women, Ministry, and Leadership](https://aiocs.net/orthodox-women-ministry-and-leadership/) - by Monica Ibrahim The participation of Orthodox churches in the World Council of Churches (WCC) provided women with the opportunity to explore the role of women in the Orthodox Church. In 1976, with support from the WCC, the first Orthodox women’s consultation took place in Agapia Monastery, Romania. It was one of a series of
- [Edited Volume on Ecumenism](https://aiocs.net/edited-volume-on-ecumenism/) - On behalf of the NSW Ecumenical Council's Theology Reflection Commission, together with Professor Diane Speed, Dean and CEO of the Sydney College of Divinity, Dr Doru Costache edited a collection of ecumenical reflections. The volume, A Celebration of Ut unum sint: The 25th Anniversary, gathers thirty-three reflections of various lengths. Of these, some explore matters
- [Conservatives & Progressives, or Let's Misunderstand the Christian Tradition!](https://aiocs.net/conservatives-progressives-and-the-misunderstanding-of-the-christian-tradition/) - by Doru Costache Attempts to make sense of the tradition are as old as Christianity. Christ was condemned as an iconoclast, as it were, someone who showed disrespect for the ancestral traditions of his people. His compatriots perceived him indeed as irreligious, a reformer, and as a progressive person who prioritised the human being above
- [An ISCAST Fellow](https://aiocs.net/an-iscast-fellow/) - Recently, AIOCS’ founding director Doru Costache has become a Fellow of Christians in Science and Technology (ISCAST). ISCAST is a network of people, from students to distinguished academics, exploring the interface of the sciences, technology, and Christianity. The invitation to become an ISCAST Fellow is in recognition of Costache’s contributions to the field of science &
- [The Causes of Violence in Contemporary Society](https://aiocs.net/the-causes-of-violence/) - by Doru Costache I just read an interview with my dear friend, Marcello La Matina, Professor of Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language at Università degli studi di Macerata, Italy. In this interview, "Violenza e invidia," he explores the causes of violence in contemporary society and how to counteract this dark side of human psyche.
- [The Season of Creation: An Australian Angle](https://aiocs.net/the-season-of-creation-an-australian-angle/) - by Doru Costache In 1989, the previous Ecumenical Patriarch, Dimitrios, declared 1 September a day of prayer for the creation. The day coincides, of course, with the beginning of the Orthodox liturgical year. By this initiative, Patriarch Dimitrios inaugurated a new era of environmental consciousness, which the European Council of Churches and the World Council
- [Saint Elijah Taken Up to Heaven in Transylvanian Icons](https://aiocs.net/saint-elijah-taken-up-to-heaven-in-transylvanian-icons/) - A Yearly Celebration on 20 July Alina Victoria Paraschiv Believers’ devotion towards Saint Elijah is obvious in a series of glass-painted icons produced in Transylvania’s workshops. These icons evidence the popular assimilation of the saint’s scriptural biography with local legends and beliefs. Agrarian and pastoral communities saw him as a protector endowed with divine powers
- [Affirming the Goodness of Creation in a Time of Pandemic: Patristic Insights](https://aiocs.net/affirming-the-goodness-of-creation-in-a-time-of-pandemic-patristic-insights/) - Doru Costache offered a talk on the occasion of the inaugural seminar of Sydney College of Divinity's Theology Research Network. The title of his talk is 'Affirming the Goodness of Creation in a Time of Pandemic: Patristic Insights.' The event took place via Zoom, on 28 May 2020. Moderator of the session was Professor Neil
- [Și Viețile Negrilor Contează](https://aiocs.net/si-vietile-negrilor-conteaza/) - Doru Costache Iată povestea. Un om negru a murit, nu, a fost ucis cu brutalitate de oameni lipsiți de milă, albi. Nu mulți oameni îl cunoșteau pe omul negru, chiar dacă îl știau câțiva. Inițial, plânsul acestora a rămas neînsoțit. Curând, însă, vocile lor, ale celor care-l cunoscuseră, au fost acoperite de vocile a mii
- [Black Lives Matter](https://aiocs.net/black-lives-matter/) - Doru Costache Here’s the story. There was this man, black, who died, no, who was brutally killed by merciless white men. Not many people knew the black man, though some did. Initially, their cry was their own. But, very soon, their voices, the voices of those who knew him, were overcome by the voices of
- [‘In this Together’: A Reflection at the Other End of Reconciliation Week 2020](https://aiocs.net/in-this-together-a-reflection-at-the-other-end-of-reconciliation-week-2020/) - Monica Ibrahim For the past eight years I have taught Criminal Law to first year law students, and throughout the unit we explore the complex reasons for the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) peoples in the Australian criminal justice system. Overall, at the commencement of the university semester students respond with typical
- [Revering an Image of the Holy Trinity: the Moldovita Fresco](https://aiocs.net/the-moldovita-fresco-of-the-holy-trinity/) - by Doru Costache The icon reproduced on this page, painted by an anonymous artist in the 15th century, is in fact a mural depiction to be found at Moldovița monastery, Romania. This icon of the Holy Trinity offers glimpses of numerous mysteries, recapitulating the whole divine economy for our sakes, or for the restitution of
- [Reconciliation Begins with Listening to the Deep Spring Inside Us](https://aiocs.net/reconciliation-begins-with-listening-to-the-deep-spring-inside-us/) - by Monica Ibrahim In Australia every year, 27 May marks the beginning of Reconciliation Week. It acknowledges the injustice that colonisation and past discriminatory polices have exacted on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) peoples and recognises that this continues to adversely shape their material conditions and life chances. It also commemorates significant milestones towards
- [Doing Theology in a Time of Pandemic](https://aiocs.net/doing-theology-in-a-time-of-pandemic/) - by Doru Costache There's no need to describe the current health crisis. Humankind has known various scourges in the past. What would theology have to say about the coronavirus pandemic? Well, it could say a number of things. For example, it could look at the plagues of Egypt as an appropriate key to understand such
- [Dreams, Virtue and Divine Knowledge in Early Christian Egypt](https://aiocs.net/dreams-virtue-and-divine-knowledge-in-early-christian-egypt/) - As coauthors of Dreams, Virtue and Divine Knowledge in Early Christian Egypt (Cambridge University Press, 2019), Bronwen Neil and Doru Costache described their respective contributions for International Network for Byzantine Philosophy. Neil's article. Costache's article. And here is the text of Costache's article: The chapter entitled ‘Sleep, Dreams and Soul-Travel: Athanasius within the Tradition’ considers
- [Pondering the Great Week](https://aiocs.net/pondering-the-mystery-of-the-great-week/) - by Doru Costache In the Orthodox tradition, the Great Week begins with Saturday of Lazarus and ends with Holy Saturday. These Saturdays are like the brackets of the mystery, both focusing on the mystery of resurrection. Saturday of Lazarus anticipates the rise of the Lord. Holy Saturday celebrates the rise of the Lord. The Week
- [On Good and Evil](https://aiocs.net/on-good-and-evil/) - by Doru Costache Flashes cross my memory's line of sight... You'd laugh at what flashes I'm talking about, but tough luck. First, in Battlestar Galactica's preliminary, Commander Adama (a deeply symbolic name... "the earthling," the preferred name of the Saviour Christ himself, Son of Adam/Man) gives an awesome speech where he wonders about humankind's worthiness
- [Turning the Tables on the Pandemic](https://aiocs.net/turning-the-tables-on-the-pandemic/) - by Doru Costache What good could come out of the coronavirus pandemic? Why, for one, as we gradually close down our regular activities we are given a rare opportunity to slow down in a contemplative manner. Just remember the hectic lives we had before all this, how busy we thought we were, or we actually
- [Tot Răul spre Bine](https://aiocs.net/tot-raul-spre-bine/) - de Doru Costache Ce bine ar putea rezulta din pandemia de coronavirus? Păi, spre exemplu, în timp ce reducem activitățile noastre obișnuite în mod treptat, avem rara ocazie de a ne încetini viața și de a adopta o manieră contemplativă. Amintiți-vă de ritmurile noastre nebune dinainte de toate acestea—ce ocupați ni se părea că suntem,
- [On Noise and Silence](https://aiocs.net/on-noise-and-silence/) - by Doru Costache The following are a few paragraphs from my recently released The Orthodox Spring: A Diary (pp. 25-27 and 48-49) Three centuries after the publication of The Philokalia, Saint Nicodemus’ prologue still teaches us wisdom, addressing our difficulties. For one, we have not found out yet how to balance the inward call and our
- [Despre Zgomot și Liniște](https://aiocs.net/despre-zgomot-si-liniste/) - de Doru Costache Pasajele care urmează sunt din cartea mea recent publicată, The Orthodox Spring: A Diary (pp. 25-27 și 48-49) La trei secole după ediția princeps a Filocaliei, prologul Sfântului Nicodim încă ne învață înțelepciunea, discutând probleme ale timpului nostru. Spre exemplu, încă nu am descoperit cum să echilibrăm chemarea lăuntrică și activitatea noastră
- [Tradition and Continuity in the Iconographical School of Laz](https://aiocs.net/tradition-and-continuity-in-the-iconographical-school-of-laz/) - An interview with Florin Poenariu, master iconographer by Alina Victoria Paraschiv Florin Poenariu and the iconographical treasure of his family The Transylvanian village of Laz, on the Sebeş Valley, is the centre of a historical school of glass-painted iconography. Throughout the last couple of centuries, most iconographers who worked here were—and still are—members of the
- [Web and Book Design: Ion Nedelcu](https://aiocs.net/webmaster-and-design/) - Web and Book Design: Ion Nedelcu Mr Ion Nedelcu holds a bachelor in Orthodox theology from the University of Bucharest and a graduate diploma in political sciences from National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest. Designer of the front cover illustrations for Reading Scripture in the Orthodox Church: The Festal Cycle (2019), Reading Scripture
- [The Christmas Bush and the Mystery of Christmas: Australian Natural Contemplation](https://aiocs.net/the-christmas-bush-and-the-mystery-of-christmas-australian-natural-contemplation/) - by Monica Ibrahim On 14 November we commenced the forty-day fast in preparation for Christmas. The fast calls us to prepare ourselves spiritually to receive Christ who put on our very nature for our salvation. The Syriac fathers often used symbols from the natural world to explain a spiritual reality or truth. St Ephrem’s explanation
- [Romanian Glass Icons: The Birth of the Lord](https://aiocs.net/romanian-glass-icons-the-birth-of-the-lord/) - by Alina Victoria Paraschiv Glass iconography, or the folk art of painting sacred images on the reverse of glass plates, developed in Transylvania during the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries. Out of a profound spiritual necessity stemming from their faith, the Romanian peasants of those times ornamented the eastern wall of their homes by hanging
- [Communing in the Orthodox Church: Part Three](https://aiocs.net/communing-in-the-orthodox-church-part-three/) - Current Dilemmas Concerning Holy Communion by Doru Costache I continue my analysis by addressing in more detail the misunderstandings mentioned in the previous two parts, regarding how to commune in the Orthodox Church. The misunderstandings to which I turn in what follows draw on the assumption that contemporary believers are no longer as “worthy” as
- [Communing in the Orthodox Church: Part Two](https://aiocs.net/communing-in-the-orthodox-church-part-two/) - Liturgical perspectives by Doru Costache The meaning of the scriptural and the canonical references to communing—as an ecclesial experience, integral to the event of constituting the church—finds confirmation in the orders of the divine liturgy accepted in the Orthodox Church of Byzantine tradition. In the liturgy attributed to Saint John Chrysostom, the first part of
- [Communing in the Orthodox Church: Part One](https://aiocs.net/communing-in-the-orthodox-church-part-one/) - Scriptural and Canonical Perspectives by Doru Costache Among the many issues confronting the Orthodox in our days, one is the misunderstanding which refers to lay believers' access to holy communion. Apart from some lay people’s inertia or indifference to holy communion, many circles promote the strange idea that God’s people has no need of communing
- [Book Coauthored by AIOCS' Founder](https://aiocs.net/book-coauthored-by-the-founder-of-aiocs/) - Cambridge University Press just released a book Doru Costache coauthored with Bronwen Neil (Macquarie) and Kevin Wagner (Notre Dame), Dreams, Virtue and Divine Knowledge in Early Christian Egypt. Bronwen Neil is Professor of Ancient History at Macquarie University, Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University and Research Fellow of the University of South Africa. She
- [SOW Project Video Interview](https://aiocs.net/video-interview/) - During project Science and Orthodoxy around the World/SOW (the Institute of Historical Research with the National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens, 2016-2019), AIOCS' founder, Doru Costache, was interviewed about his journey in the field. In the interview, he refers to his education in Romania, the guidance of his mentor, The Very Revd Professor Dumitru Popescu, and
- [Orthodox Identity in My Slice of Today’s America](https://aiocs.net/orthodox-identity-in-my-slice-of-todays-america/) - Anecdotal Observations of a Struggling Parent, Priest, and Academic by Bogdan Bucur What is offered in the pages to follow is something deliberately personal, drawn “from my own spring,” stripped of references to the studies, books, and learned opinions of others. It is a subjective account of my ongoing experience as an Orthodox Christian in
- [Endorsements of Reading Scripture in the Orthodox Church](https://aiocs.net/endorsements-of-reading-scripture-in-the-orthodox-church/) - Archpriest Professor John Behr (Fr Georges Florovsky Distinguished Professor of Patristics, St Vladimir’s Seminary, New York; Metropolitan Kallistos Chair of Orthodox Theology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam): "In this book Fr Doru offers us the fruits of his deep meditation on, and preaching from, the Sunday readings from the Apostle and the Gospel as given in the lectionary of the
- [Talking Mere Christianity: A Reflection for the Fast before Christmas](https://aiocs.net/talking-mere-christianity-a-reflection-for-the-fast-before-christmas/) - by Doru Costache Fasting times such as the one in preparation for Christmas present us with complex challenges. Whereas the “first world” mentality and perhaps the overall human psyche complacently treasure the quiet of routine, the familiarity of things known and done, fasting times call us to personal renewal by way of breaking the routine.
- [Christianity at the Crossroads](https://aiocs.net/christianity-at-the-crossroads/) - by Doru Costache No, you do not have to expect me to say that the current circumstances are new and that these days Christians must take some unprecedented action or to abolish their past. Neither should you expect me to say something like Christianity being in need of a radical reform today more than yesterday.
- [Relating Science & Religion: Videos](https://aiocs.net/relating-science-religion-videos/) - 30 June 2017 The Australian Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies hosted the seminar Relating Science & Religion, organised by Doru Costache on behalf of the project Science and Orthodoxy around the World (National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens). The event was held at the Sydney College of Divinity, being hosted by Professor James Harrison (SCD's Director for Research). Abstracts. Background essay
- [A Divine and Barbarous Philosophy](https://aiocs.net/a-divine-and-barbarous-philosophy/) - by David Bradshaw Philosophy today is an academic discipline, one among many. In the ancient world it was something far more sweeping: the love of wisdom (sophia). The precise nature of such wisdom was, then as now, a question on which philosophers disagreed sharply. Even so, there was broad agreement that wisdom is not simply
- [Why the Best Things Are the Most Defenceless](https://aiocs.net/why-the-best-things-are-the-most-defenceless/) - by Adam G Cooper Until recently, the tradition of western philosophy widely accepted as normative Aristotle’s definition of the human being as a ‘rational animal.’ Whatever its weaknesses, the definition had real plausibility. Human beings are animals, that seems certain. They eat, mate and reproduce; they form groups and tribes; they defend territorial boundaries; they rally
- [What Should Orthodox Australians Learn from the Local Lutheran–Roman Catholic Dialogue?](https://aiocs.net/what-should-orthodox-australians-learn-from-the-local-lutheran-roman-catholic-dialogue/) - by Doru Costache I take this as an opportunity to reflect on certain shortcomings of my own ecclesial tradition. Self-assessment is a prerequisite of receptive ecumenism—of humbly learning from others. In August 2007, the bilateral commission for Lutheran–Roman Catholic dialogue in Australia published the document ‘The Ministry of Oversight: The Office of Bishop and President
- [Christian Perspectives on the Environment](https://aiocs.net/christian-perspectives-on-the-environment/) - by Doru Costache On Thursday, 12 May 2016, I participated in a seminar, Christian Perspectives on the Environment, organised at St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College (a member institution of the Sydney College of Divinity). The other speakers have been Professor Jonathan Wooding (The University of Sydney), who offered the paper 'Saints and Nature in the
- [Drawing Indoors the Line of Division](https://aiocs.net/drawing-indoors-the-line-of-division/) - by Doru Costache Second century Christians faced external pressures that largely related to their self-representation. They defined themselves as bearers of divine wisdom and citizens of God’s kingdom, refusing assimilation with other religious groups. According to Diog. 1, being a “new race,” Christians followed a different way of life, not defined by blood, ethnicity, language,
- [Modern Culture, Ecclesial Tradition and the Challenges We Face](https://aiocs.net/modern-culture-ecclesial-tradition-and-the-challenges-we-face/) - by Doru Costache There are two kinds of challenges experienced by the Orthodox in our days. Some, such as the nontraditional character of modern culture, pertain to the context in which they live. Others, such as fundamentalism, pietism and nationalism, have to do with the Orthodox themselves. In what follows I propose that at times

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- [Deification within the Contemporary  Coptic Orthodox Context: Fr Matta Al-Miskin and Pope Shenouda III - Ramsey Andrews PDF](https://aiocs.net/product/deification-within-the-contemporary-coptic-orthodox-context-fr-matta-al-miskin-and-pope-shenouda-iii-ramsey-andrews/) - The AIOCS “Beginnings” Series ISBN 978-0-6484401-7-8 (ebook) Available for purchase in PDF format Abstract: The Coptic (Egyptian) Orthodox Church is currently shaken by a debate regarding divine participation, which began as a disagreement between Pope Shenouda III (1923–2012) and Fr Matta Al-Miskin (1919–2006). In short, Fr Matta used the terminology of deification, whereas Pope Shenouda maintained that no church father had ever condoned this doctrine. The present study analyses and compares their views in critical manner, against the backdrop of their respective sources. Specifically, while Fr Matta’s teaching on deification draws upon late antique Alexandrian theology, Pope Shenouda’s views echo the Coptic-Arabic literature of medieval times and modernity, especially its controversies with Muslim scholars. This study argues that, although the concept of deification could complicate the relations between Christians and Muslims in Egypt, many Coptic Orthodox Christians live now in friendlier environments abroad, where this traditional concept is not controversial. Orthodox Christianity should express itself by the traditional concept of deification where possible—and without it where its use proves to be counterproductive. As such, this study proposes implementing a plurivocal Orthodox approach that avoids theological reductionism in favour of either of the two views, aiming to seek unity of faith rather than uniformity of expressions. Author’s bio: Ramsey Andrews is a registered practising psychologist based in Sydney, Australia, with academic training in theology, holding a Master of Theological Studies. His approach integrates psychological insight and theological depth. Drawing from his professional experience, Ramsey brings a thoughtful and measured approach to areas where belief, identity, and community intersect. His theological focus is anchored in the patristic tradition, with a growing engagement in Arabic Christian authors within the Coptic Orthodox heritage. This short book is written for believers who seek clarity amid confusion, aiming to address theological misunderstandings that caused tension and division within the Coptic Church. Written with scholarly rigour but in an accessible style, this study aims to inform and to foster unity, understanding, and faithfulness to the church’s theological foundations.
- [John Chrysostom: Past, Present, Future PDF © AIOCS](https://aiocs.net/product/john-chrysostom-past-present-future-ebook-version/) - Fresh, interdenominational, and interdisciplinary perspectives on the life, thought, and legacy of St John Chrysostom
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